Life Goes On
by bookworm191
Summary: Raven Cordell  OC  and her best friend Draco Malfoy are heading back to Hogwarts to finish their schooling after the War. How will she cope with living with the new Head Boy, Harry Potter? HP/OC/DM. Rated for sexual situations/scenes and language.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is my fist fic published on fanfiction so I hope you will be kind. I'm not super concerned with reviews since I am writing for my own entertainment first and simply wish to share my ideas with the rest of you, but they are certainly welcomed. This story is mostly compliant with the book except for one of the pairings in the Epiloge (I won't say which because I don't want to ruin the story). Thanks for taking your time to read and I hope you enjoy. I will try to update once a week-ish. The Mature rating is due to future sexual content**

**Disclaimer: This is a blanket disclaimer for every chapter in this story-I do not claim to own any of the characters you recognize from JK Rowling's books. **

**Chapter 1:**

"Head Girl!" I yelled as I opened up my Hogwarts letter for my final year. It surprised me since I was sure that Granger was the top female student in our year, but perhaps Mcgonagall wasn't choosing soley based on academic merit. Actually, from what I'd heard she was trying to promote inter-house unity. I eyed Draco as he opened his letter, "Anything?"

"Nah, just prefect. As usual," he sighed. I knew how much he wanted Head Boy. "I'll bet that Saint Potter got it. Dumbledore's favorite. No doubt McGonagall will be following his wishes now that she's headmistress."

"Don't say that! You'll curse me! I have to share a common room thingy with the Head Boy, ya know?" I reminded him.

"Oh yeah…" he looked down.

"Don't worry, though," I reassured him, "you can visit me whenever you want." I winked at him suggestively. He just shook his head and lied back on my bed. Draco and I had been best friends for years and we were both ideal Slytherins. Pureblood? Confidence? Attitude? We had it. Pretty much everyone had missed last year because of the war, so it would be interesting to see how everyone would react to seeing each other after a year of being gone. I hoped that nobody would hate Draco and me for associating with the Dark side. Draco's family had been cleared of charges, but my parents had not been so lucky. Since I was seventeen at the time, their mansion and all of my family's property was mine. Some kids may find that cool I suppose, but I mostly found it lonely.

"Well, I guess you had better get going home, Raven, so we can both get some sleep and catch the train tomorrow. No doubt it will be an interesting year," Draco said. I nodded, then wrapped my arms around his neck.

He returned my gesture by putting his hands on my waist and pulling me closer for a tight hug, "Night, Dray," I muttered into his chest before apparating out of his room and in front of my house.

I laid in bed that night and could hear the thunder rolling outside of my house. I shivered in my blanket. I hated being alone at night, and my small fear always escalated when there was a storm. I stared at my clock. It read 1:00 am. How was I ever going to make the train at 10 in the morning? Just then I heard something in the fireplace in my room. The floo network into my house was pretty well protected and only allowed people from certain places so even though logically it could only be someone I knew, I jolted up in bed. I saw Draco's outline and allowed myself to take a breath.

"Dray, not that I'm not happy as hell to see you, but what are you doing here at 1 am?"

He walked over to my bed, pulled back the covers and I scooted over to make room for him. Although I could afford a king sized bed, and actually had one before my parents went to Azkaban, such a big bed made me feel so alone, so I stuck with a smaller double bed. "Rae, you know as well as I do that you get scared being home alone at night, especially during storms. You honestly think I would leave you to fend for yourself and have a terrible night sleep the day before we go back to school?" He wrapped an arm around me.

"I love you, Dray. You know that right? What would I do without you?" He just mumbled an 'mhm' into my back. I continued, "I actually assumed you would be sleeping, seeing as tomorrow is our first day back to Hogwarts after a year of being away." I turned to face him.

"Yeah, I'm just worried about what everyone is going to think, you know? I certainly won't have the reputation I had before."

"Draco, fuck reputations! We're adults now, and I'm sure everyone will be over what happened 6th year. Trust me. If nothing else, at least we have each other. I understand you better than anyone, Dray, and I'll always be there for you. So you have nothing to worry about."

"I supposed you're right," he mumbled, "Night, Raven."

"Night Draco," I turned back around to allow him to snuggle into my back as I fell into a peaceful slumber. Almost as soon as I had fallen asleep Sparky, my only house elf, was shaking me awake.

"Miss Raven," she squeaked, "it's time to get ready for Hogwarts Express!"

"Thanks Sparky," I mumbled and shook Draco awake. Soon enough we were both ready to face the world that was Hogwarts. I sighed loudly, "Ready for this?"

Draco just grabbed my hand and swished his wand so that our trunks disappeared. Then we were apparating to King's Cross Station. As we arrived on the platform I squeezed Draco's hand for reassurance. The students didn't seem as excited as usual. I think everyone was wondering how this year was going to go after the war. As I looked around my eyes caught the gaze of Harry Potter who was, of course, surrounded by Hermione, Ron, and Ginny. I looked down before it became too awkward and boarded the train with Draco trailing behind me.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I do not own Harry Potter or any recognized elements from Harry Potter. I'm in between vacations so I figured I would update. The next chapter should be out sometime next weekend. Thanks to the two who put this story on alert, it makes me feel great! Enjoy :)**

**Chapter 2:**

Draco and I were sitting by ourselves in our compartment when Harry Potter poked his head in, "Um, Raven, we're wanted in the front compartment to hear about our Head duties." He left as soon as he had spoken.

"I knew it," I heard Draco mumble.

"It's okay, Dray," I soothed," At least you don't have to spend all of your time with him."

"You think I'd rather _you_ be spending so much time with him. He took everything from already. You're all I've got left, so he might as well take you too," he snapped.

"Draco," I said, getting angry. "First of all, what Voldemort was doing was wrong and Potter saved you and your family from being stuck as His servants. Ruining your family's reputation wasn't on purpose. It was bound to happen. Second of all, even though Potter was our sworn enemy last year I'm going to have to learn to deal with him, and you should too. Third of all, we're best friends. And no one will ever change that. Nobody, especially not Potter, is going to 'take' me away from you." I leaned down and kissed his cheek before swiftly leaving, "Later, Dray."

I entered the Head compartment, "Potter," I nodded, "Professor."

"Mr. Potter, Miss Cordell, nice to see you two back this year," Professor McGonagall nodded at us, "Now as you two know you will be sharing a dormitory to make it easier to share Head duties. You will receive more detailed instructions when we arrive, but for now I'd like the two of you to patrol the train and spend some time together. The password to your dorm is 'Harpies' and I strongly urge the two of you to not share your password with other students. Good luck this year." She left after she wished us luck.

Potter and I were sitting in silence until I decided to break it, "Look Potter," I began, "I know we've been sworn enemies since I'm best friends with Draco and all, but I'm willing to put that in the past so that we can at least be civil with each other this year. Now I'm sure we could never be friends, but I really just want to have a decent year and not struggle with you."

"Okay, I won't trouble you if you leave me alone."

"One more thing, Potter. I won't give Draco our password if you don't give it to your friends. I would really like to have my own place where I don't have to worry about people that I don't want to see being there. It's bad enough I will have to share with you. I would just rather not have all of your friends wandering in and out as they please, and I'm sure you feel the same about my friends, er friend."

"Fair enough," he said with no feeling. It seemed as though something was troubling him. "Shall we go monitor the train?" I nodded and followed him out of the compartment. I had never been branded a Death Eater, and I didn't really believe in all that purify the wizard race crap anyway. But, alas, I was not a brave Gryffindor and always just sort of went with it. I would never defy my family and the only friends I ever knew. The only real reason I never got along with Potter was because of Draco. I always sided with him and his hatred for Harry Potter. But I was really hoping that wouldn't carry on into this year and that Potter and I could be civil with each other. I had been having a rough time at home since my parents were in Azkaban and I really wanted to forget about it all at Hogwarts this year.

Harry was walking in front of me, and I could see his toned back and arms through the shirt he was wearing. I had to admit, with those piercing green eyes and masculine body, he wouldn't be so bad looking…if only he weren't a Gryffindor. Pity. We got back to our compartment and he immediately began reading through a book about Aurors. I figured I should probably change and began closing the curtains over the windows.

"What are you doing?" Potter asked.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" I asked, pulling out my clothes, "I'm changing."

"Oh, I can leave," he began to stand up.

I just laughed and pulled off my shirt, "Potter if I can't trust you at least a bit, we'll never work out being Head Girl and Boy together. Besides, we're adults. It's not like you haven't seen a naked chick before, and I've got underwear on so it's practically like a bathing suit. No big deal really."

I was facing away from him, but I knew his cheeks were flushing red. For all I knew he _hadn't_ seen a naked chick before, but whatever. This is how I am so he might as well get used to it. By the time I pulled my shoes on over my knee socks and turned around I noticed that he too was changed. "You learn fast, Potter." He blushed a bit and returned to his book without say another word for the entire trip.

Since my duties were finished for the trip I wandered back to Draco's compartment. I found him in it with Pansy, Blaise, Crabbe, and Goyle.

"Hello everyone," I smirked as I entered the compartment. Since there was no free seat I took the liberty of placing myself on Draco's lap. Pansy, who was sitting next to him glared at me.

"Thanks," he whispered in my ear. I just smirked and nodded to acknowledge him. "How was meeting with Potter?"

"Lame," I responded, "This year should be interesting though. I can't wait to have my own dorm." His face fell. I whispered, "You're always welcome to keep me company, Dray." He smirked and I winked at him as I got up and began to leave, "Well I better go help the first years get sorted. See you lot later."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thank you for waiting patiently while I was on vacation for this chapter. I appreciate everyone who took the time to add me or this story to their favorites or alert list. The next update should be Sunday night before classes start. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter and recognizable characters. **

**Chapter 3:**

Potter and I led the first years into the Great Hall to be sorted and we got to sit at the front table to be introduced to the student body together as Head Boy and Girl. When the feast ended I snuck out before Draco could get to me so I could have some time alone to organize my room.

"Harpies," I whispered to the portrait that swung open for me. The common room was decorated in a modern looking black and white color scheme and had one couch, one loveseat, and one armchair surrounding a small coffee table in front of the fireplace. The opposite side of the room held a small kitchenette with a countertop with 3 seats for eating. The back wall held 2 doors, one had 'HP' marked on the outside and the other had 'RC.' I entered the door with my initials and found a room with a four poster queen sized bed, an armoire, a dresser, a vanity, and large window with a bench to sit in the window. There was a door off to the left that I assumed led to the bathroom, which from its location I assumed I would be sharing with Potter. The room was decorated with a purple, green, and blue color scheme; it's funny how McGonagall had taken on the role of knowing everything about the students so soon, because I loved the room.

I slowly began emptying my trunk to various locations around my room. I know they generally magically sort things, but I'm pretty particular about where I put all of my stuff so I asked the Headmaster not to this year. Being Head Girl did have some advantages. When I finished unpacking I went to the common room to make some raspberry tea and maybe run into Potter since we had yet to schedule a prefect's meeting and make patrolling schedules. When I exited my room I found Ron Weasley sitting in the armchair with Hermione Granger propped on one of the arms and leaning on his shoulder. Harry and Ginny were seated on the loveseat, and Ginny was leaning her head on his shoulder stroking Harry's arm while he sort of had an absent look on his face. I could tell she was sort of frustrated that he wasn't paying much attention to her. "Hello Potter," I said to make my presence known.

His eyes darted to me, "Hi Raven…er Cordell," he corrected himself after Ginny and Hermione gave him an odd look.

"Would you like any tea, Harry? I'm about to put a pot on." I could be civil to him, because I was somewhat grateful for the war ending, but there was no way I would play nice with his little gang of friends. It was more than house rivalry when it came to this group, plus I was protective of Draco and they had been pretty terrible to him over the years.

"Uhh no thanks," he mumbled. I shrugged and made my tea.

When I finished I walked behind the loveseat and placed my hand on his shoulder; I immediately felt him tense up. "When your _friends_ leave, Potter," I said stressing the word friends to get a rise out of Ginny, "Come into my room so we can figure out a good date for the Prefects Meeting and work out some other Head things." This time I smirked over at Granger who I knew was upset about not being chosen as Head Girl. Then I leaned closer in his ear, to piss Ginny off even more, "And don't bother knocking, I'll probably have my headphones in." With that I strutted to my room to get ready for bed.

I threw on one of Draco's old quidditch uniforms that fell just past my rear end, threw in my headphones, and grabbed a book to read. I sat up in my window seat and looked out at the view. Our rooms were on the 6th floor, so the view of the Black Lake was pretty spectacular. I ran a hand through my blonde hair, pushing it out of my face as I sighed. How nice it must be for Potter to always be surrounded by friends; people who understand and support him. All I had left in life was Draco, and even he can't really relate since he still has his family and life all set up for him. After a short while I felt a hand lightly tap my shoulder. I turned off my head phones and pulled them out while closing book before turning around to face Potter, as I had expected.

"Hey Potter," I said moving toward my bed and smirking slightly at the blush creeping onto his cheeks from what I was wearing. "C'mon," I patted my bed and pulled out some parchment.

"Um, thanks for giving me an excuse to get away from them, by the way," he stated as he sat down on my bed.

"What are you talking about Potter? We really do need to get these schedules worked out," I replied, knowing full well what he was talking about.

"Never mind," he sighed, "So what day works best for you to hold the Prefect's Meeting?"

"I was thinking Tuesday evening. Maybe 8 pm? That way we only leave Monday with nobody to patrol. Does that work for you?" He nodded.

"Shall we send them in pairs?" he asked.

"I think that would be the smartest. I know the war is over, but I still think there are repercussions from it that haven't been resolved yet; especially amongst some of my students who are bitter about what happened to their parents and whatnot."

After about 45 minutes this is what we had worked out:

_Sunday pm/Monday am: 10pm-1am Heads, 1-4am 5__th__ year Hufflepuffs, 4-7am 5__th__ year Gryffindors_

_Monday pm/Tuesday am: 10pm-1am 5__th__ year Ravenclaws, 1-4 am 5__th__ year Slytherins, 4-7 am 6__th__ year Hufflepuffs_

_Tuesday pm/Wednesday am: 10pm-1am 6__th__ year Gryffindors, 1-4am 6__th__ year Ravenclaws, 4-7am 6__th__ year Slytherins_

_Wednesday pm/Thursday am: 10pm-1am 7__th__ year Hufflepuffs, 1-4am 7__th__ year Gryffindors, 4-7am 7__th__ year Ravenclaws_

_Thursday pm/Friday am: 10pm-4am Heads, 4-7am 7__th__ year Slytherins_

_Friday pm-Sunday am: professors _

"Well…have a good night, Raven," Potter said while cutting through the bathroom to his bedroom.

"Night, Potter," I mumbled, curling back up in my window seat.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: So this chapter is a little short, but it's mostly due to the way I wrote the story and split up the chapters. Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed and added me or this story as their favorite; I appreciate the support. I'm starting school this week but since a lot of this story is pre-written it shouldn't affect updates. Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own recognizable characters from Harry Potter.**

**Chapter 4:**

In the morning I woke up and immediately went to my kitchenette to brew coffee. It was sort of a hassle to do myself, since I was used to house elves, but nice to have the option. I had one cup of coffee before showering and throwing on my robes, leaving my hair to dry naturally. I headed to the Great Hall for breakfast, even though I really just needed my schedule. I found Draco sitting away from his usual crowd at the end of the table. I went up behind him and began massaging his shoulders.

After a few minutes he turned around and placed a hand on my waist, "Morning, Rae," he mumbled.

I bent down to whisper in his ear, "Wanna take breakfast outside today?" I kept it quiet so we could have some time alone to talk before classes.

"But our schedules…"

"Follow me," I interrupted, grabbing his hand and pulling him towards Professor Slughorn. "Professor," I smiled, "I know it's customary to give the younger students their schedules first, but do you think Draco and I could have ours now since we would like to eat breakfast outside?"

"Alright," he nodded and handed me two schedules.

"Thanks, Professor." Slughorn knew my parents, so he had a soft spot for me. Plus, I was sort of the Potions nerd of our year. I grabbed a blueberry muffin and pulled Draco outside with me to look at our schedules. Here was mine:

_Monday/Wednesday: _

_7:30-9am Breakfast_

_9am-12pm Double N.E.W.T. Potions_

_12-1pm Lunch_

_1-2:30pm N.E.W.T. Herbology_

_3-4:30pm N.E.W.T. Charms_

_6:30-8pm Dinner_

_Tuesday/Thursday:_

_7:30-9am Breakfast_

_9-10:30am N.E.W.T. Transfiguration_

_11am-12:30pm N.E.W.T. Arithmacy_

_12:30-1:30pm Lunch_

_1:30-3pm N.E.W.T. Ancient Runes_

_6:30-8pm Dinner_

_Friday:_

_7:30-9am Breakfast_

_10:30am-12pm Independent Study: Potions and Charms for Medicinal Use_

_12-1pm Lunch_

_1-3pm Group Study: Transfiguration of humans_

_6:30-8pm Dinner_

I was right on track to becoming a healer, which is what I wanted to be for as long as I can remember. Professor McGonagall was very much into academics, and this year she changed the 7th year schedules to fit more to their individual needs. On Fridays, during the specified blocks of time, the professors would be available for individual help as needed. You could pretty much choose to research whatever you wanted, and for that class to get credit you simply had to submit a paper each week summarizing what you'd learned that week. The small group study classes were made so students studying the same thing could do so together, without full professor supervision. Professor thought this would better help us prepare for whatever job we ended up choosing when we graduated.

Draco had a similar schedule to me, opting to take History of Magic instead of Ancient Runes, Muggle Studies instead of Arithmacy, and Defense Against the Dark Arts instead of Herbology. His Friday classes were geared more towards the business end of magic since he wanted to work in the Ministry when he graduated.

"So tell me, Draco," I stated once we sat down outside, "What is it that's got you acting so down this morning?"

"I feel so alone. You're doing you Head Girl duties, meanwhile everyone in Slytherin is acting like this war never happened. They didn't have to work for Him! I feel robbed of my childhood. These kids still believe in purifying the race, but they didn't have to watch innocent muggles die on practically a daily basis. Plus I'm still having nightmares."

"I thought you yourself believed in all that purity stuff though, Draco."

"I believe that a pureblood is superior in a way, but I don't think muggles and muggleborns ought to be murdered. I just wouldn't mix with them myself. There's a BIG difference, Rae. It annoys me that they think they _know_ what happened. But they didn't have to witness it all from the inside. It was sick and twisted, Rae."

"I know, Dray," I pulled him to my breast so that I could hold him, "We just have to get through this year. Then we can work if we want to, but we don't have to. You can just come live in my house and we won't even have to deal without the rest of the world if we don't want to. You wanna sleep in my room tonight?"

"Yeah, that'd help," he nodded.

"But you know, you're not going to be able to do this all the time. You're going to have to face the world and deal with it eventually."

"I know," he mumbled. "Thanks, Rae."

"You're welcome," I kissed his forehead, "Now we have Potions to get to. And you know I will murder you if I'm late to my favorite class!"


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I hope everyone had a good holiday weekend (Americans, anyway). I've had a very busy weekend, which is why this update is a bit late. Thanks again to all my readers who have reviewed and/or added me/this story to their favorites of alert list. Expect the next update Sunday night. Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter and recognizable characters.**

**Chapter 5**

"Alright, Dray, are you going to be able to handle the mean common room of yours until 1 am when I can come get you after I patrol?" I teased him.

"Yeah, I think I'll manage. You know the password, right?" he asked.

"Yup, I know all the house passwords. I am Head Girl, you know?" I said getting up from the Slytherin common room couch. Draco and I had been working on a Potions assignment all evening since dinner.

"Oh yeah. Well I'll see you at 1, then," he said, heading to his room.

"See you later, Dray." I exited the Slytherin common room and made my way up six flights of stairs to my common room to meet Potter. As I approached our portrait I noticed Potter was talking to Ginny.

"Look, I have to patrol tonight, Gin, so we'll just catch up later this week sometime," he said to her.

"But Harry, we never got time alone at my house over the summer. Plus you've been so distant, lately! I just think we need to spend some time together before you get bombarded with N.E.W.T. assignments," she pleaded to him.

"Well I'm sorry, but it'll have to wait," he said releasing her hands, "Goodnight, Ginny." He began walking toward me as she turned to head for the Gryffindor common room.

"Trouble in paradise?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

He shrugged, "She's just upset that McGonagall asked us to patrol for a few hours tonight even though our schedule doesn't start until tomorrow night and technically we shouldn't be patrolling until Thursday night."

"I see," was the response I gave, even though I wanted to point out that she was right. I could tell by the few interactions I'd witnessed between the two that he was, indeed, acting very distant towards her. But his relationship was really none of my business, so I let it go. After all, we weren't even friends, we simply shared a living space. "Ready for this?"

He nodded and we headed off in the direction of the dungeons. The two of us occasionally made small talk about classes, but for the most part we stayed silent. No one was out tonight, probably because it was the first night and everyone wanted to be well rested for their first week of classes. Students always behaved better the first couple weeks of school. When Potter and I were in the dungeons, around 12:45am something crashed in a small corridor in front of us. Potter reacted very quickly; he had his wand out and ready and has pushed me so that I was positioned behind him in what seemed like less than one second.

"As noble and Gryffindor as that was of you, Potter, to try and protect me, I am a big girl and can very well take care of myself," I stated, pulling out my own wand. Although, I had to admit, he did have very good reaction time. I would never share that with him, though. After a few seconds, Filch stumbled out with what appeared to be pieces of a broken lantern. I chuckled at the fact that we had been frightened by a _squib_.

When he was out of earshot, Potter put his wand away, "I didn't mean to insult you, Raven. But if it's one thing I learned in the past seven years it's that Hogwarts is not as safe as it seems. Protecting you was just sort of a natural instinct."

"Well, thanks I guess. Are you alright to head back to the common room alone? I have to meet Draco."

"Sure," he nodded, "Have a good night," he called over his shoulder.

I walked into the Slytherin common room and found Draco sitting in the armchair, "Ready, Dray?" He threw an around my shoulder and we headed toward my room. He cracked a small smile when I told him about the incident with Filch and insulted Potter for trying to save the day, as always. I was glad that he was sounding like he was getting back to his normal self again.

When we got to my room, I shed my uniform shirt to reveal a white tank top and slid off my skirt to my panties. "Merlin, it's hot for September!" I complained as I threw open the window in my room.

"Wow, what a view!" Draco came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist. He nuzzled into my neck, "I missed hanging out with you like this last year."

I turned around so I could put my arms around his neck, "I know, Dray. I missed it too. I just want my best friend back."

"I don't know if I'll ever be the same, Rae. It's hard to recover from what I saw and did."

"It'll be okay eventually, Dray. You're a good person; you were just doing what you had to survive."

He nodded and stripped down to his boxers before climbing into my bed. I slid in next to him and snuggled into his chest. He kept an arm around me, but fell asleep almost immediately. I could tell he hadn't been sleeping well lately and was glad that I made him feel comfortable enough that he could sleep with me. I fell asleep with the hope that tomorrow would be a better day for him.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Hello readers! Thanks to those who put my story on alert! The next update should be sometime next weekend. Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter characters, I just toy with them.**

**Chapter 6:**

I woke up to the scent of coffee, and opened my eyes to find Draco sitting on my bed holding a coffee cup out for me. I sat up and gladly accepted the cup, "Mmm, you're the best, Dray," I mumbled taking a sip.

"I know better than to wake you up without having coffee the ready," he smiled warmly.

"God, you're getting so thin, Draco," I said, touching his shoulder, "I miss my muscular Draco." He shook his head at my teasing, then took the cup from hand and pulled me right out of bed into the air.

"Still think I'm weak?" he questioned me, as I was still in the air, safely in his arms.

"No," I giggled and smacked him, "now put me down!"

"Alright," he dropped me on the bed.

"Now put some damn clothes on, boy! We have classes to attend."

"Yes ma'am," he did a scourgify charm on the clothes he'd worn last night and pulled them on while I sifted through my drawers to find some clean underwear. I moved my finger in a motion, indicating for him to turn around while I changed my underwear. "Awe, you're no fun, Rae!"

"Oh hush you. You can turn around now, by the way," I said as I was pulling on my skirt. I was halfway through buttoning up my shirt when he pulled me towards him and kissed my neck.

"Have I mentioned how beautiful you look this morning?" he mumbled into me.

"Why no, you haven't," I smirked, soaking up the attention.

"Well you look beautiful," he pulled away and allowed me to finish getting dressed, "Thanks for letting me stay with you; it really helped a lot. Sometimes I just need to get away from everyone, you know?"

Draco followed me out my room into my common room just as Potter was coming out of his room, "Morning, Potter," I said taking Draco's hand and shutting my door with the swish of my wand.

"G'morning, Raven," he replied with his head down. I opted to ignore his strange behavior and continue on to breakfast with Draco.

"This is where I leave you, Dray," I said softly to him at the Slytherin table. "Just send me an owl if you need anything later, okay?"

He nodded and pulled me into a quick hug. I then strolled up to the professor's table so that I could get the patrolling schedule approved. There were seats at the end of the Professor's table for the Heads, which was where I sat for breakfast. Potter joined me only a few moments later. "You know, you're not obligated to sit with me in the morning, Potter. You may join your friends if you wish. I took care of the patrolling schedules already."

"Did it ever occur to you that perhaps I don't do every last thing with all of my friends all the time?" I followed his eyes to where Weasley was sitting with his arm around Granger and Ginny was sitting with the Gryffindors in her year.

"I was simply making a statement Potter. It's obvious that you're feeling left out or whatever since your relationship issues with the young Weasley, but there is NO need to take out your anger problems on ME," I whispered harshly.

"Sorry," he mumbled as I stormed off to my first class. Even though I wanted to escape Harry Potter, it was like an inevitable fate I had to deal with this morning. All through the halls girls were whispering of his problems with Ginny, wondering if they could get a chance to date 'The Boy Who Lived.' I heard at least two conversations about what a powerful wizard he was and one about how it was so difficult to believe he'd actually come back to finish his education…surely he could have gotten a job with all of his _real world_ experience. As if these insufferable children knew what any _real world_ experiences were like. These kids did not have to face Death Eaters on a regular basis. They do not know what it's like to witness someone being tortured for no good reason. No one else seemed to care how serious the war actually was. People lost _family_ over it. _I_ lost my family to the so called sacred cause. I all but ran away from the conversations that plagued my mind to the comfort of Professor McGonagall's empty classroom.

I placed my head in my hands and took a deep breath. I had a few moments to compose myself before the rest of the students began to filter in. No one could see me in this weak state of mind. Potter was the last student in, and he locked eyes with me as he took the last seat in the classroom, next to me. Towards the end of class he slid a note to me:

_**I'm sorry I snapped at you earlier. I don't want to cause problems between us and make our living situation weird…I've just been having a rough time lately.**_

I turned the slip of parchment over and scribbled down one small note to slide to him before the bell rang:

_**Don't make the mistake of thinking you are the only one, Potter. For now, consider the event forgotten.**_

With that, I slung my bag over my shoulder and hurried to my next class so I wouldn't have to deal any questions he might have.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Well the plot will finally begin to get rolling in this chapter. Thanks to those who reviewed, favored, or added this to their alert. Next update should be sometime next weekend. Enjoy :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters you recognize from Harry Potter, JKR does.**

**Chapter 7:**

Time seemed to pass incredibly slowly this year for me. Most of the students wanted their 7th year to last forever, but I couldn't wait to get away from all these people. In fact, I never cared to see most people ever again. Potter and I had gotten along fine for the rest of the week, mostly because I kept in my room and avoided contact with him. Wednesday night while I was lying in my bed, I overheard Potter and the youngest Weasley arguing in his room.

"Ginny you don't get it! I don't want to hang out with your younger friends all the time. Did it ever occur to you I may want five seconds to myself?"

"You never used to be like this, Harry. I don't know what's gotten into you since the summer." I could tell she was legitimately upset.

"That's exactly it! I can't move past this war. It has changed me, and if you can't accept that than maybe we've got a problem."

"No, Harry, the only problem we have is you being selfish and not talking to me! I just want to help. I've always only wanted to help you. Last year I got the DA together for the battle to help YOU!"

"And I appreciate that Ginny, but so many people died because of me. You will never be able to understand that. I need time."

"Well I guess now you'll have all the time you want, Harry. I can't keep doing this if you're not in it too. I love you, but I don't deserve this. Let me know when you're ready to be in a real relationship," I heard his door slam shut and then the common room door soon after. I felt a bit bad for him, I could never understand being the chosen one…but regret and blame are both emotions I was familiar with. Draco and I were still not over the war, either.

For some reason unbeknownst to me I reached under my bed and grabbed the bottle of firewhiskey I had hidden and went to the common room so that I could knock on his door. I guess I just felt like the boy could use some company. I didn't bother putting clothes on over my panties and tank top and forgot completely my plan to knock on his door. When I opened the door he was in the middle of removing his pants (he was already shirtless) and he hastily pulled them back on when he saw me.

"Don't freak out so much, Potter. Believe it or not, I _have_ seen men in their boxers before." He blushed a bit, but kept his pants on. "I overheard your argument and thought you could use a little company," I waved the bottle in the air as I shut his door with my free hand.

He grabbed the bottle from my hand and took a swig. "Thanks, Raven. Can I call you Raven?"

"I suppose you can…but only behind closed doors," I took the bottle from him and took my own swig. "So…do you want to talk about it?"

"Not really," he shook his head, "Not yet at least." I could tell he was incredibly depressed. It was obvious that he cared greatly for Ginny. Knowing he didn't want to talk about, I simply walked over to him, pushed him down on the bed so that we were sitting next to each other and wrapped my arms around him. After a moment I felt him hug me back, so I began stroking his back gently. We remained like that for what felt like a century before he shifted from my arms. "What happened to you being a cold-hearted Slytherin bitch? Pardon the language."

"You're not the only person the war has changed, Potter. I saw torture of innocent people. I saw Voldemort tear apart families, my own included. I'm not over it yet, either. I have my front, sure…but deep down, I'm pretty broken, and I'm still human. I knew you could use someone right now, and given the circumstances, I'm all you've got at this particular moment."

"Harry."

"Huh?"

"You can call me Harry," he smiled a weak smile at me. "And thanks; I guess it is kind of nice to have someone around, even if it is a dirty Slytherin." I shook my head at his joke.

I stood up in front of him and positioned myself so that I was straddling his legs and leaned down to hug him. "Well, Harry," I whispered in his ear, "Don't forget about our late night patrolling session tomorrow." I kissed his cheek then grabbed my bottle of firewhiskey before exiting his room through our bathroom. "Goodnight," I called over my shoulder and shut the door to my bedroom before he could answer. As I got into my bed I couldn't help but think that maybe living with Potter wouldn't be so bad after all. It seemed like even though he was supposedly the savior, he was just as human as the rest of us. I guess no matter which side you were on; people are still people in the end and we all had to give up something.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Hello readers! Here is your weekly update. I have been writing more of this story so these weekly updates should be able to continue for awhile. Thanks a bunch to everyone who reviewed or added this or me to their favorites or alerts list. I have added another banner for this story; you can get that link at my profile. Next weekend's update might not come until Saturday or Sunday depending on how busy I am. Enjoy :)**

**Chapter 8:**

The first week of classes involved mostly going over NEWT goals and talking about what we would be studying this year so I didn't really have much homework as of Thursday. That being the case, I figured I'd take a quick nap after dinner before my late-night patrolling session with Harry, but not before finding Draco first. He had left dinner early, so I wandered into the Slytherin common room searching for him.

"Hey Daphne, have you seen Draco around?" I questioned the pretty blonde 7th year who was sitting on the couch. She and I always had a sort of friendly acquaintance relationship since she and Draco dated back in 5th year. She was the only girl he didn't have terrible break up with.

"He's upstairs in his dorm, Raven. So how have you been since…you know…"

I knew she meant since the downfall of the Dark Lord. I knew her father had been a Death Eater, but she and her mother and sister remained unmarked. "It's been a tough transition since I'm on my own now, but Draco's been great. How about you?"

She smiled, "Yeah, he is a good friend to you, huh? It's been rough on my mom and sister, not having dad around…but we're coping. And between you and I, I'm glad this whole thing is over. I was tired of worrying. And at least now that my dad isn't around I don't have to feel pressured into marrying a proper pureblood of high status. Now I won't be dating any mudbloods, of course, but the pressure is off none the less." She and Draco only dated because their parents were pressuring them to find someone of good status, which is why their breakup was pretty clean and they remained very civil.

"Thanks, Daph. I'll see you around."

"See ya." With that I was up the stairs and entering Draco's room.

"Hi Draco," I said, plopping on his bed.

"Hey," he said, scooting over so I could lie next to him.

I laid my head on his bare chest, "I told Pansy she was relieved of her patrolling duties tonight so I could patrol with you, so you know."

"Really? How come?"

"We haven't spent any time together this week, Draco. I miss my best friend."

"But you patrol with Potter until 4am…you'll be exhausted." It was sweet how he was so concerned.

"You know I don't sleep that well, Dray. Plus since I have no homework yet I'm going to go take a nap when I leave here. Okay?"

"Alright…it will be nice to spend some time together." I nodded in agreement.

"I'll meet you outside the Slytherin common room at 4, okay?"

"Alright, Rae. See you then." I lightly kissed him on the lips and headed back to my dorm for that nap.

"Raven, wake up!" I felt somebody tap my shoulder. "It's five after 10 and we're meant to be patrolling right now," Harry said softly.

"What?" I shot up. He blushed since I was in my underwear, but I just smirked at him.

"I uh, tried to knock, but you wouldn't wake up so...sorry I'll leave."

"It's fine, Pot-er-Harry. I haven't been sleeping well lately so I just overslept. You can wait right there while I throw on some clothes." I quickly slid into a pair of faded jeans and pulled on a green tank top. "Alright, let's go!" It was nice to not have to wear a uniform outside of classes. We hadn't come across any students out of bed, so when we reached the Astronomy Tower I sat at the edge.

I was gazing out at the stars when I felt Harry sit next to me. "This is a nice place to just sit and think, huh?" I asked him.

"Actually, this place gives me the creeps. This is where I watched Dumbledore die," he said softly. I didn't have to ask; I knew the story from what Draco had told me. He still has nightmares about that night over a year ago. I shuddered a bit thinking about, and from the cool night air. Harry noticed this and shrugged off his cloak. "Here, take this. I'm wearing long-sleeves and you'll freeze in just a tank top."

I accepted it and felt instantly better when I was wrapped in the cloak. "So how are things with Ginny?" I asked

"Well, you heard her last night. We just don't see eye to eye anymore. I don't really connect with anybody anymore. I can't blame her; I know it's my fault."

"It's not your fault, Potter. You had to deal with a lot. It's only natural that you're taking a while to get over it. A lot of people on my side of things aren't over this war, yet. Many families had to suffer the consequences."

He placed his hand on my chin and turned my head so that I was facing him, "Including yours?" I just nodded in response. Harry stood up and reached his hand toward me, "C'mon, let's get going." I grabbed his hand and allowed him to pull me up. Once we got to our portrait he noticed me not entering, "Where are you going?"

"I told Draco I'd patrol with him so he isn't stuck with Parkinson."

"Won't you be tired?"

"I took a nap earlier. Plus, I don't sleep much as it is."

"Will you be okay? I mean do you want to me to walk to Slytherin common room?"

"I'll be fine, Potter. But thanks." With that, I headed to meet Draco.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Hello readers! My usual thanks to those who review and/or added my/this story to their alert/favorite list. This one is for all you Draco lovers out there! I'm going to have to get Team Harry vs Team Draco vote soon, haha. Anyway, this chapter contains MATURE sexual content. I warned readers about mature content the first chapter, so if you don't like this then don't read it. I hope you guys enjoy this. The next update will come either Thursday or Friday depending on how my travel plans work out next weekend. Enjoy :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter characters, etc.**

**Chapter 9:**

Draco was waiting for me outside the Slytherin common room so I jogged to meet him. He wrapped me in his arms, "How was patrolling, Rae?"

"Uneventful," I replied, pulling out of his arms and taking his hand.

Once we started walking he noticed my cloak, "Is that a Gryffindor crest on your cloak, Raven? What gives?"

"Oh, um, I overslept so I only had a tank top on when I was patrolling," I moved the cloak to show him, "and when we got to the astronomy tower Potter gave me his cloak so I wouldn't freeze. It's no big deal, really."

"If you say so," he mumbled.

"Awe, Dray. Don't be sad…you'll always be my favorite man!" I wrapped my arms around him again. He responded by smiling and hugging me so tight that I could barely breathe. "So…anything new?"

"Not really. School isn't that bad this year. I honestly can't wait until it's over so I can get on with my life, though," he replied.

I nodded, "Yeah, same here. I'm actually getting along OKAY with Potter since he doesn't have his gang around that often anymore. So any ladies you have your sights set on?" I teased him.

"I don't know. It's hard to connect anymore. I mean I know I used to be the Slytherin Prince who bedded all the girls or whatever, but now that I've experienced a lot more, I'm not really looking to fool around or whatever. And nobody really has substance that I've noticed. There might be this one girl…but I'll let you know if it goes anywhere."

"Is it Daphne?" I asked, "She's the only Slytherin girl I can stand to be around anymore."

"Nah, I mean she's alright. But I don't think it would work between us since we already did the whole parents forced us to date thing back in 5th year."

"Yeah…I guess you're right." I decided not to press the matter on the girl issue. If and when he wanted to tell me who she was, he would.

We continued patrolling for a while and by the time it got to be 3:30am I just wanted to head in for the night, and Draco certainly wasn't arguing with me about it. When we were finally snuggled into my bed, Draco kissed the back of my neck in a suggestive way. "Uhg, Dray, you know I've been sexually frustrated since Theo…quit it." So I guess I should explain what happened with Theodore Nott and me. We started dating in 5th year, around the time Draco was dating Daphne, and everything was going really great. He was a year older than me, so in my 6th year he came of age and got branded as a Death Eater. We were very much in love, and I knew it was coming so I didn't really mind. But last year, once the war really started getting bad, I had to watch him change. It was really hard on me, because I knew he was good at heart, he just let the darkness get to him. We eventually broke up, a mutual agreement, and a few long months later he ended up in Azkaban.

"I never intended to simply tease you, Rae," he said in a husky voice. I hadn't been with anyone since Theo, and I was sexually frustrated, as I had stated. Maybe being with Draco sexually wouldn't be such a bad idea. I know he'll always be my friend, and it's not like I trust anybody more than him. I decided to just let go of my thoughts, and turned around to face him.

"Well…if you say so," I whispered, before capturing his lips with mine. My tank top was quickly shed over my head and his hand reached around to undo my bra clasp. Within seconds my bra was on the floor and the only pieces of clothing separating us were my panties and his boxers. His hands ran up and down my sides as he covered my left nipple with his warm mouth. He began lightly sucking and nibbling on it. I moaned in pleasure and ran my fingers through his fine hair.

After another moment he was at to work on my neck, giving me a small hickey on my collar bone. When he pulled away I flipped him over and began my own work. I placed butterfly kisses all down his chest until I reached his boxers. Slowly I pulled them down his legs and stared at his large member for a moment. I took it in my hands and smiled up at him. I licked the tip, just to tease him a bit. "Don't tease me, Rae," he panted.

"Alright," I conceded by taking the length of his shaft in my mouth and going to work. "Come for me now, Draco. It will make the sex so much better," I mumbled. I continued sucking him for a few more minutes until he squeezed my shoulder and I felt his juices flow into my mouth. I quickly swallowed them and went back up to Draco to claim his lips for my own. While we were kissing I felt his finger slide under my panties and begin rubbing my clit. I felt no shame in pushing myself further into his hand so he could insert a finger to lube up and continue rubbing my clit. After a few minutes he pulled away. "Dray," I panted, "I was almost there. What are you doing?"

"I want you to finish in my mouth. Just like I did for you," he kissed my neck and rubbed me on the outside of my panties while I raked my fingernails down his back. He tugged my panties off and in another moment his head was in my crotch and his hands were spreading my legs so he could gain better access. His tongue swirled around on my clit and I felt myself bucking with pleasure.

"Mmm, Dray," I moaned out. A few minutes later I had reached my climax and Draco lapped up my juices as they flowed out. My entire body was tingling with sensation as I pulled Draco back up to me. I had been about 20 minutes since he had come and I could feel his hard penis against me. "Now come in me," I moaned.

"As you wish, love," he whispered in my ear, "Are you taking contraceptive potion?" I nodded. He flipped me over so I was on my knees and entered me doggy style. He started out slow for the first five minutes or so until his member found the right spot. I began moaning in pleasure. "Harder, Draco. Please." He complied with my request and began moving faster and harder, his dick pounding against my spot while he fingered my clit. After about ten more minutes I could feel myself beginning to come, "Oh, Draco," I cried out. At the same time he mumbled my name in pleasure and with one last thrust he came inside of me.

I was lying with my head on his chest when he finally spoke. "Have you ever thought about maybe us dating, Raven?" he asked me.

"I don't know, Dray. I love you and you're my best friend…But I don't think I'm ready yet. Theo really did a number on me. I really do appreciate tonight, though. I have been so sexually frustrated lately."

He nodded, "I understand, Rae. But just so you know, I've come to realize that I don't want shallow girls anymore. You're the only girl I can trust, and just know that I'll wait for you until you're ready. I don't want anyone else." I didn't respond, so we both ended up drifting off to sleep.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: You should be happy I managed to get this up before my weekend out of town. Thanks to the reviewer and people who gave me and this story love via favorites/alerts. Don't worry, Harry fans, your time is coming soon! Next update will be next weekend (Friday). Enjoy :)**

**Chapter 10:**

I woke up alone the next morning, which was a little unsettling. I had to hurry if I wanted to be on time to my first class, and I was very groggy since I'd only had a few hours of sleep. When I sat up I noticed a large cup of coffee on my desk, holding down a note. It read:

_**Raven,**_

_**I don't want you to think I fucked you then left you or whatever, but I really needed to shower and change, and I know you need all the sleep you can get. I brewed you coffee before I left, it's how you like it: sugar and half & half. Last night was truly amazing; I wouldn't mind a repeat of it in the future ;-). Please don't forget what I told you. I love you, Raven, and I know I can't be with anyone else. I'll give you as much time as you need to figure out whatever it is that you need to, but know that I'm always here if you need to talk or anything. I need to catch up on homework tonight, but I'll see you tomorrow. Please relax today.**_

_**Love,**_

_**Dray**_

I smiled at the note. How could I have thought he'd left me without saying anything? I took a large sip of the coffee and quickly pulled on my uniform before hurrying to my class. Madame Pomfrey was actually heading this as her only class. The few students that were taking this as independent study had to meet in the infirmary so she could give us instructions. We were basically on our own, but she encouraged us to come ask her questions and whatnot during the allotted time block. It turns out Harry was in my transfiguration of humans group study along with Daphne, Granger, Susan Bones, and a Ravenclaw I didn't recognize who was probably a year younger than me. Students either took this as a medical elective or if they wanted to learn to be an animagus (ie-for law enforcement, etc). So some of us would focus on transfiguring others and some would focus on transfiguring themselves.

Daphne and I paired off, as well as Potter and Granger, and the last two. We could all work together if we needed to, but pairs was easier for most and it seemed as though everyone had a friend in this class. Daphne and I worked well together, so I thought this would be a good class for the year.

That evening I stayed in my common room working on an essay for Potions. It figured that was my only class that had real homework the first week. I know it's only because we need to learn the theory and uses of potions before we could actually make them. Harry had been in his room taking a nap while I was doing homework, but I figured I'd wake him when I was making coffee to see if he'd want any. Plus I'd be doing him a favor to not let him sleep so long.

When I walked into his room I saw him sleeping on top of the covers. He only had his boxers on and before I woke him I took a minute to get a good look at him. He had definitely grown into his man body. His biceps were lean and strong looking and chest and abs were incredibly chiseled. He looked very peaceful without his glasses on. I walked to his bed and sat down lightly. "Harry," I gently shook him.

"Raven?" he rubbed his eyes and reached for his glasses.

"Here," I handed them to him, "You've been sleeping for a couple hours so I thought I'd wake you. I'm making coffee, would you like some?"

"Sure," he said, sitting up, "I'll be out in a minute." I nodded and left him to put some clothes on. In a minute he came into the common and room and joined me.

"How do you take your coffee?" I asked, while pouring him a cup.

"A teaspoon of sugar and small splash of milk, please." I followed his request and handed him his cup before placing myself on the couch next to him. "Thanks," he said, before taking a sip. "So, I noticed you were working on our potions essay. Do you think you could help me out a bit."

"Sure. But I thought you were pretty decent at potions?" I asked him, "I mean you are in NEWT level."

"I barely scraped an E on potions to be honest. I need it to be an auror, so Hermione helped me out a lot 6th year. But she's always with Ron now so…"

"Yeah; I know the feeling." So we sat on the couch until late at night, working on our potions essays. Not long after we'd finished I was asleep on Harry's shoulder.

_It was June, and the War had just finished, yet my parents had still not come home. Draco was staying with me and we were eating breakfast on my back porch, when Sparky came to tell me I had a visitor in the lobby. I wandered into the house and saw two Ministry officials. "Miss Cordell?" they asked. I nodded, "Yes, that's me. How can I help you?" I barely got that out, because deep down I knew what was coming next. "We regret to inform you that your parents have been placed in Azkaban for being Death Eaters. We will need to search you house. And will you give us your arm." I lifted my arm, and they performed a spell to ensure I didn't have the Dark Mark. While they searched through my house I broke down crying on my living room floor. Draco, whose family had already been forgiven, quickly came over to me to offer comfort._

"_No, no. This isn't happening to me. My parents." I was mumbling. Draco was rubbing my back. "Alone…I'm all alone. What's going to happen to me?"_

"_It'll be okay, Rae. You've still got me." I shook my head._

"_It's not okay! My parents are GONE Draco. Azkaban is worse than death!"_

"Raven," I was shaken awake by Harry. I opened my eyes and noticed I was now in my bed, my pants having been removed. "I was putting you in your bed since you fell asleep on the couch and you started crying. Are you alright?"

I shook my head. I hated remembering that day. It was still so fresh in my mind. The thought of my parents suffering in Azkaban still plagued me from time to time. "Please stay?" I pleaded with him.

"Uh sure. He removed his shirt and pants and crawled into my bed with him. He wrapped his strong arms around me and rubbed my back until I fell into a dreamless sleep.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: The usual thanks goes out to my supporters and reviewers! This one is for all you Harry lovers :) Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: JKR owns what you recognize.**

**Chapter 11:**

I woke up wrapped in the comfort of Harry's arms and before I opened my eyes I snuggled into him further. I wasn't sure what it was about him that made me feel so at ease. He felt me shift, "Are you awake, Raven?"

"Mhm…need coffee," I mumbled. He chuckled a bit at my response.

"Are you feeling better?" I nodded into his chest. "Can I ask what was bothering you last night?"

"I suppose you deserve to know now. I was dreaming about the day my parents got sent to Azkaban. It was a very horrifying experience for me. I still remember it like it was yesterday."

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

"Eh, there's nothing anyone can do about it now. But I do need some coffee, so if you don't mind," I said, gesturing for him to open his arms and let me get up. He complied and I went and made myself some coffee.

"So what are your plans for today?" he casually asked me after he had gotten dressed.

"I'm not sure. I really just want to relax a bit. I'll probably be with Draco tonight."

"Can I show you something?"

"Sure," I said, curious to know what he wanted to show me. With a wave of his wand, his broom came flying toward us. He grabbed it and walked over to our window.

"Hop on," he gestured to the seat behind him on his broom. I got on his broom and wrapped my arms tight around his torso before he took off out our window. Before I knew it we were perched on a branch high on a tall tree in the Forbidden Forest. It was such a massive tree that we could both sit on it. Over the tree tops you could barely see Hogwarts in the distance. "This is the best place around to come to get away from everyone. I figured you could use as much as I can this year." He hadn't released my hand from when he helped me onto the branch, and I think neither of us could ignore the electric feeling we received when we touched.

"This is really nice," I said staring out into the woods, "Thank you for showing it to me."

"You really surprised me this year, Raven." He whispered. I stared into his emerald eyes and gave him a small smile. His hand let go of mine and came up to cup my cheek. "I don't know what it is about you," he mumbled. I couldn't take it anymore, so I leaned in and kissed him softly on the lips. No tongue was used, and it wasn't needed. It lasted just a few seconds, but it felt like the entire world stopped. When I pulled back, all he could do was mutter, "Wow."

We flew back to the castle and neither of us spoke a word. When we landed, I immediately went to my room to ponder what had just occurred. I couldn't deny what I had felt when we kissed. The spark was unlike anything I've ever felt before. We were both in really odd places in our lives, and we understood each other it seemed. But there was no way I could go into a relationship with him, assuming he would even want one with me. It would kill Draco, and Draco is the only person that's _always_, no matter what, been there for me. I love Draco, and I couldn't bear to hurt him like that. But I couldn't shake the feeling of how felt when I was in Harry's arms, and I found myself longing to be there again. If only we were living in a different reality, one where it was acceptable if we were together.

I had been lying on my bed thinking for a few hours when my door swung open and Draco walked in. I gave him a confused look. "Potter let me in," he shrugged. He came over to my bed and gave me hug after I had sat up. "How has your weekend been so far?"

"Not bad. I finished my homework," I told him. As much as I wanted to confide in someone about what had just happened with Harry, I knew I couldn't tell Draco. It would tear him apart to find out that I had such a passionate (is that the right word?) encounter with Harry so shortly after he'd confessed his love for me. I wish I could figure everything out so Draco and I could move on and be together. This war had complicated things so much. I hated having to grow up so fast.

That night when Draco tried to kiss me, I turned away. "Want to tell me what's wrong, Rae?" he asked me.

"I just think it wouldn't be right for us to continue on snogging and whatnot when I don't even know what I want right now. It's just not fair to you. I will always love you and be your best friend, Dray, but I really need some time. And that time can't include us snogging and acting like were a couple because that will just cloud my judgment. I'm sorry, Draco." He just nodded and turned around to go to sleep.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Here is chapter 12! Thanks for those who have shown support! This chapter contains MATURE content. The next update should be next weekend. Enjoy :)**

**Chapter 12:**

Weeks passed, and Harry and I remained friendly behind closed doors. Since Draco and I were taking so many different NEWT classes we hardly ever saw each other anymore. Usually on Thursdays I would patrol with him and we would catch up on each others' weeks. October was coming to an end and one Friday night I decided to just relax and forget about homework for a little while. I was curled up on the loveseat reading a book after classes when Harry came into our common room. I felt him sit next to me on the couch so I place a bookmark in my book and set it down.

"Hi Harry, how was your day?" I asked, turning to face him.

"Fine. You look stressed. How are YOU?" he asked me. I shrugged my shoulders in response. "Are you going to dinner? It's nearly 6:30."

"Actually, I thought I'd stay in tonight. Would you care to join me? I just need to get away from all the people. They stress me out."

"Yeah, I think I'd like that," he gave me a small smile.

"Let's just relax for a bit," I said, "Maybe later we can break out some firewhiskey or something." I picked my book back up. After a minute or two of silence I felt his strong hands kneading into my shoulders giving me the most amazing massage I think I've ever felt. I felt that spark again when he touched me, but tried to ignore it. "Mmmm," I moaned at his touch, "Don't stop. This feels amazing."

"You're really tense, Raven. I think you need to relax more."

"I know I need to relax more. I can't help it though. I'm scared to be alone in this world when I graduate; I'm not ready to grow up."

"I know, but you'll still have Draco. And me, if you want." I smiled, but we both knew he and I couldn't actually be together, as friends or anything, so soon after the war. There were still a lot of hard feelings. After a few minutes there was a knock at our door. Harry went up to get it. He was speaking to someone for a minute before he came back to me. "That was Ron and Hermione. They want me to come to dinner with them, but I'll stay here if you want."

"No, go," I told him, "I was going to take a bath anyway; I'll still be here when you get back." He nodded and left to go to dinner.

After finishing the chapter in the book I was reading I wandered into the bathroom to draw a bath for myself. It had been a long week, so I put a spell on it to keep a steaming hot temperature and decent supply of bubbles. I shed my clothing and stepped in. The tub was very big, so I could stretch out my legs and still not touch the opposite end of the tub. I closed my eyes and let the warmth of the water surround me. I must have lost track of time because I heard Harry enter his room. I could hear some ruffling of him moving about then it got quiet and the door to the bathroom swung open. He was already fully in the bathroom before he saw me. "Oh Merlin, Raven, I'm so sorry!" he turned around to leave.

"It's fine, Harry. Really, I'm comfortable around you. Please feel free to do what you were going to do, I'm almost done here if you want to shower soon or something."

"Are-are you sure?" he asked, his cheeks red with embarrassment.

"Absolutely." To be honest, he looked so scrumptious in only his trousers. They hung low on his waist since he had removed his belt in anticipation of his shower. He went up to the mirror and splashed water on his face before starting to brush his teeth. I could practically feel his heart beat from the tub. In the mirror I could see his eyes flickering to my reflection. The bubbles barely covered my nipples, so a lot of cleavage was left to be seen. When he was finished I noticed him ruffle the hair on the back of his neck, as if nervous. That gesture really turned me on and I reached down to touch my clitoris. He turned to leave when I whispered his name. "Harry, come here."

He obliged, and walked to the edge of the tub. "Are you nervous?" I asked him. He nodded. "Is it because you're sexually attracted to me?" Another nod. I reached my hand out of the water and touched his cheek.

"Raven, you fascinate me. It's more than just a sexual attraction; I-I've never even had sex before." I smiled and pushed myself up in the tub. My breasts were exposed, and I saw his eyes widen at my hard nipples as I reached for his trousers.

"Join me," I told him. He didn't say anything, so I continued to remove his trousers and boxers to find his erect penis. I just smiled and grabbed his hand to guide him into the tub. We were squeezed next to each other in the tub, with his left arm around my waist. I rubbed my hand up and down his hard cock. "You've never done this before have you?" He shook his head. "It's okay; I'll help." I grabbed his right hand and placed on my left breast. "Go ahead," I encouraged him. He began massaging it as I whimpered in pleasure. I placed my lips on his and our tongues danced together in one of the most electrifying kisses I'd ever experienced. We broke apart and he began placing kisses on my neck. When he got to my soft spot at the base of my neck I dug my fingers into his back. He was now straddling me in the tub and sucking gently on my sweet spot. While he was doing this I removed his hand from my breast and guided it down to my clitoris. With my finger on top of his I began making swirling motions. He had one hand buried in my silky folds while the other slid up my side and began massaging my breast. I threw my head back in ecstasy as I quickly reached my first climax.

I removed his hands from me and pulled him up out of the bath tub. I grabbed my wand and conjured some blankets on the floor. I pushed him down and placed his long, erect cock in my mouth. "Do you want me to make you come?" I mumbled into his shaft.

"Merlin, I want so you bad right now, Raven." He had his fingers lost in my hair. I began sucking, popping my lips on and off of him in a fast paced motion. Only a few minutes went by before he was coming into my mouth. I swallowed and licked up his entire body before stopping to suck on his neck.

"God, you turn me on. I'm ready again," I whispered. His hand went to my clitoris again, but I shook my head. "Your mouth, Harry. I want you to taste me." He nodded and spread my legs with his hands. His tongue copied the movements his fingers were doing moments earlier only this time the velvety feeling of his tongue amplified the feeling. I bucked my hips up into his face and his tongue began moving faster, flicking at my clit. I screamed out as I reached me orgasm for the second time this evening and his tongue kept going as I rode out the waves of pleasure. I pulled him up to me and just held him there on the bathroom floor. We would have to talk about this later, but for now I just wanted to lay with Harry. I curled up to his chest and pulled a dry blanket over us so we could sleep.


	13. Chapter 13

****A/N: Sorry this is later in the day than I usually post; I got caught up with studying. Thanks to my supporters this week. This is my longest chapter yet! This chapter contains MATURE content; you know the deal. Next update will be next Friday. Back to watching Game 7 of the World Series for me-happy reading to you! Have a safe/fun Halloween to those who celebrate! ****

****Disclaimer: I don't own HP.****

**Chapter 13:**

I woke up on the bathroom floor, with memories from the previous night flooding into my mind. Harry was so inexperienced, which was very endearing. As my I laid on his chest, listening to his heartbeat, I caught myself wishing the wizarding world was different. I wished this stupid war hadn't torn the magical world into two distinct groups. But most of all, I wished I was living in a world where Harry and I could be together without being exiled from our few friends. Harry had grown to be quite a tolerable roommate, and for some reason I felt very drawn to him. I still didn't really know him, but the physical passion felt between us was undeniable and I found myself yearning for more of his touch.

I didn't even notice I was crying until I felt Harry wipe a tear off his chest and look down at me, "Are you ok, Raven?"

I nodded into his chest, "Yeah, I was just thinking about how I wish this war never happened. The world we live in is a cruel one, Harry." He just nodded and stroked my hair, which was all messy from the previous nights' activities. It was nice that we didn't really have to talk about it; it was like he understood my silence.

"Hey Raven?" he asked after a few minutes of silence.

"Hm?"

"I know it's unacceptable for us to be together and all, but why can't we just be each other's safe havens when we're here by ourselves?" I didn't quite understand what he was asking for. We were friendly, obviously, but did he want more? Like a secret relationship or something. Before I could ask him, he interrupted my thoughts, "Before you think too much into it, I know how you are with Draco and I know you probably don't want a relationship, especially not a secret one, but that's not what I want from you. I would never ask you to be in a relationship that no one can know about and I won't act like a jealous boyfriend type when you're with Draco or whoever. I just really enjoy spending time with you when we're by ourselves. And I mean, why can't we just be us when we're here alone? And not worry about consequences and the outside world. We have only several months before we have to face the real world, so why not live it up now?"

I smiled, "I really like being with you too, Harry. For some reason this," I gestured to the two of us lying together, "feels really natural to me. Why don't we just act how we want, and take things as they come?"

He surprised me by capturing my lips with his in a heated and passionate kiss. This was the first time he made the first move without my guidance. After a few minutes of snogging on our bathroom floor he pulled away, "You said to act how I wanted…and I really wanted to kiss you right then." He had a goofy grin on his face and I just shook my head and chuckled.

"What do you say you and I stay in today? It's Sunday and I could use a break from Hogwarts."

"I think that's an excellent idea, Raven," he grabbed my neck and gently pulled me in for another snogging session. After a couple minutes I pulled away because there was a tapping at my window.

"Let me go answer that and then I need coffee badly," I said getting up and vanishing all the blankets on the bathroom floor. He nodded and got up as well. The owl was from Draco, asking if I wanted to hang out today. I felt terrible for keeping my kind of relationship with Harry from him, but I knew he would not only be crushed but certainly wouldn't approve. I responded to him saying I wasn't feeling great and that I would love to hang out after class tomorrow. I quickly threw on black lacey underwear and a bra and a black tank top before leaving my room.

I walked into the kitchen and Harry was standing by the counter in his boxers stirring a cup of coffee. I went up behind him and wrapped my arms around his waist, "Mm smells good."

He turned around and handed me the cup, "Here you go. Half & half and sugar; just the way you like it." I was mildly surprised that he knew how I liked my coffee, but I suppose he had seen me make it for myself enough times that he must have known. I was still flattered that he had remembered, though. Harry decided to get that shower he never got to take while I was drinking my coffee. I worked on my homework while he cleaned up. I must not have realized how long I had been working because when I felt Harry sit down on the couch next me it was beginning to get dark out. "If you want, I can go get us some food from the kitchens so we could really make use of this lazy day," he said to me.

I turned to look at him and smiled, "That sounds great. I didn't realize how long I had been working. NEWTS seem to be taking up all of my time!" He nodded in understanding before going to grab some food. He came back about ten minutes later with two sandwiches, a small bag of pretzels, and two sugar cookies. Once we finished out supper I laid down on the couch so my head was in his lap.

"So you want to be an auror when you're finished this year, Harry?" I asked him. I realized I didn't actually know much about his life from his perspective and was getting curious.

"Yeah, Kingsley, the Minister, said he would have taken me this year, but he really encouraged me to finish my schooling. I'm pretty much guaranteed a job after graduation. They're anticipating some backlash in the years coming from followers that haven't been captured yet." I nodded in understanding. "What about you?" he asked, "I just realized I hardly know anything about you. Everyone knows about the Boy Who Lived. But what's your story?"

"Well, I'm on track to be a Healer when I graduate this year. St. Mungo's has a 4 year training program that I'm dying to get into. I'll be applying there this November. I suppose I'll also apply at St. Stargus's in Paris and St. Wardis's in Romania as well, just in case I don't into the one here in London."

"That sounds really great, Raven," he had begun stroking my hair and I had closed my eyes. I really wished we could stay in our little Heads Common Room bubble forever. I decided that since I would have to go back to reality tomorrow for classes I would enjoy my time with Harry tonight as much as possible. I lifted myself up so I was snuggled next to him on the couch before turning to capture his lips with mine. I shifted so that I was now straddling him, with my crotch rubbing against his now hard member. I ran my fingers through the hair on the back of his neck while our tongues fought for dominance. His hands reached behind me to cup my arse. His lips released mine and he immediately began kissing and sucking on the spot just above my collar bone. I threw my head back and sighed in pleasure. He lips made their way up my neck until he was sucking and nibbling on my ear lobe. I sucked in a ragged breath and dug my fingernails into the back of his neck.

My hands found their way to his chiseled abs and after a few moments I discarded his shirt onto the floor. He yanked my tank top over my head and began to massage my breasts over my bra. He opened the clasp in the front and I slid the straps over my shoulders as my breasts fell into his needy hands. Immediately my back was on the couch and his breath was hot on my left nipple. He sucked on it and began tugging at my other one with his left hand. His right hand travel down my stomach to my lacy panties and his finger felt the juices I had been expelling through the fabric. "God, Raven, you're so fucking wet," he whispered in my ear.

"What are you gonna do about that, Potter?" I smirked at him. He continued ravaging my breasts with his mouth as his finger slid under the fabric and into my hot, dripping center. I let out a soft moan at his touch. While two of his fingers were pumping in and out of me, his thumb began rubbing circles on my clitoris. "Fuck that's good, Potter," I gasped as his thumb touched the sensitive bundle of nerves. AT this point I was moaning and gasping as my fingers tore down his back. I screamed out his name as I came all over his hand. He pulled me back up to his lap as he brought his fingers up to his face so he could lick up my juices.

I slid onto the floor and sat on my knees and yanked down his jeans. I could see the head of penis peeking through his boxers, so I leaned down and kissed the tip, gently. I looked up at him as I pulled his boxers off and whispered, "Your turn to come for me, Potter." With that I took his whole length in my mouth and heard him gasp. Apparently he wasn't finished with me as he lied back on the couch and pulled me in top of him to that his mouth was underneath my pussy. His tongue started massaging my clit while he began pumping two fingers in and out of me. I moaned onto his penis, while pushing myself further onto his face, I felt him quiver from my moan. To add more pleasure I massaged his balls in my hand. His eyes clamped shut and he threw his head back, his fingers still working, while I went to continued sucking on him, popping my mouth on and off of his tip. "Fuck, Raven, I'm about to come," he panted, gripping my waist tighter with his hands. After a few more pumps his seed spilled into my mouth and I swallowed and continued sucking while he rode out his orgasm. I pulled off of him and his hot mouth began working on my clit again. Less than a minute later I was screaming out his name is orgasm as he swallowed all of the juices I'd released. I crawled back up to him on couch and we both lay down. "That was fucking amazing," I whispered and captured his lips so that we could taste each other. He nodded and then after a few minutes he lifted me up and carried me into his bedroom where we stayed for the night.


	14. Chapter 14

** A/N: Sorry I've gotten into the habit of updating later in the evening. Thanks so much to the reviewers and people who have "favorited" me and this story. This chapter is a bit milder than the others and is sort of filler...please don't be upset. The next update should be next Friday, most likely in the late afternoon/early evening. Please Enjoy :)**

**Disclaimer: You know the deal. JKR rocks.**

**Chapter 14**

I was walking to potions early the next morning, having forgone breakfast for coffee in my common room when I felt a hand grab my wrist to stop me. I didn't need to turn around to know who it was, "Hi Draco."

"Rae, are you okay? You've been locked up in your room all weekend!" He fell into step beside me.

"Yeah Draco; I was just catching up on homework and went to bed early last night since I didn't sleep well on Saturday night," I lied, "Why…did you miss me?" I teased.

"Of course I missed you, Rae," he slung an arm over my shoulder and kissed my head, "But it's okay, cause I get you all to myself tonight! Didn't forget about it, did you?"

"Duh! I wouldn't forget, Dray. Right after Charms we can head back to my common room. If you want we can skip dinner and just whip up something in my kitchen."

"Sounds great," he said. We took our seats next to each other in Potions and I pulled out my book so I could skim the instructions to the potion we were making before other students arrived. Classes went smoothly and before I knew it Draco and I were heading back to my room to spend some quality time together.

"So you'll never guess who has started chasing after me recently," Draco said sitting on my couch while I threw some garlic bread in the oven.

"Well," I began, sitting opposite of him leaning against the armrest with my feet in his lap, "It can't be Pansy, because that would be nothing new. So…Millicient?" He shook his head. "Granger?"

"Ewe she would never do that. Plus she's with Weaslebee."

"What? You said I'd never guess. So I threw out the oddest guess I could think of."

"Okay, well quit guessing. It's Astoria. Daphne's little sister."

"No kidding! What has she been doing? Besides the normal drooling and giggling, I mean. All of the girls in Slytherin do that, after all." I grinned.

"She's been asking me for help on homework. Which isn't so weird, since I am a Prefect and top student," he boasted while I grimaced, "But I overheard her talking to Daphne about how maybe she can connect their family with Malfoy name since she failed to? What a psycho! Marriage? Is she crazy?"

"Well you are a catch, Dray," I got up to pull out the bread and slice it for us to munch on, "Plus, you know how the crazy pureblood society works. It's hardly ever about love; aligning yourself with a powerful, rich family is much more important." I rolled my eyes.

"Yeah. My mum has been hinting at me dating one of the pureblood girls in our year. I don't think they'd ever arrange a marriage, but they seriously want me with someone soon. Gotta get that Malfoy heir, you know?"

"I wish it wasn't like that, Draco. I'm sorry."

"It's fine. Plus, if I don't find a pureblood woman I love maybe we could just be together out of convenience. My parents love you and I know I could actually stand to live with you."

"Yeah. I suppose if neither of us are married by the time we're 25 or so we should just bite the bullet and get together, huh?" I laughed, "We'll always be there for each other. So I know it'll be okay." He smiled at me.

"So, how about that dinner?" he asked.

"You mean you aren't cooking?" I teased. "It's almost finished." Draco and I finished eating in my common room and were relaxing together and working on homework when Harry finally came back from quidditch practice. Our eyes met and I smiled and nodded at him, he tossed me a "hey" before walking toward his room. He began shedding his quidditch practice jersey as he was entering his room and my breath caught in my throat as I caught a glimpse of his bare skin. Draco turned to look at me so I covered it up quickly.

"You guys seem to be getting along ok," he commented.

"Yeah, he's actually really easy to work and live with. We've definitely established a friendly acquaintance this past month." I shrugged.

He scoffed, "I figured Potter would hate a Death Eater's child."

"Hey now," I scolded, "We HAVE to work together so don't give me shit for being nice to Potter…I was under the impression that the war was OVER."

"Yeah…but some prejudices will never be completely gone," he reminded me. I sighed and leaned my head on his shoulder.

"I know."


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Happy Sodium Day, readers! (I'm a science nerd, too) And Happy Veterans Day (Americans). The usual thanks goes out to my supporters! Next update should be similar time next Friday. Enjoy :)**

**Chapter 15**

"Hey Harry?" I asked him late one November night when we were sitting in our common room working on Potions homework together.

"Yeah?" he stopped writing and looked at me.

"I've been thinking…and I think maybe we should plan something fun for the students before the Holiday Break."

"That sounds interesting…what did you have in mind?"

"Well, you remember how much fun everybody had at the Yule Ball…I thought maybe we could have some sort of dance. Like a winter formal of sorts."

"That sounds excellent…would it be for all ages, or only 4th years up like the Yule Ball?"

"Well, I was thinking we do the ball for 3rd years and up and then plan a Hogsmeade trip for the first and second years since they don't get to go normally."

"That's brilliant, Raven. We can run it by Mcgonagall tomorrow at breakfast."

"Actually, I sort of already mentioned it. She said if you and I were willing to plan it all she'd okay it. I thought we could get the prefects to help us."

"You've already thought of everything! What do you need me for?"

I laughed, "To help execute everything, of course! Can we start planning tonight?"

"Sure…I'm helpless with this homework assignment anyway. So how about we plan on doing the Hogsmeade trip from 10 am to 2pm that Saturday morning and the ball from 7 to 12 pm. You and I can take care of accounting for everybody and we can have the House prefects be in charge of keeping an eye on members of their own house. There're six prefects per house so that should be plenty since there won't be more than 20 students per house going."

"That's great. It'll leave everyone plenty of time to get ready for the ball. Now decorations should be easy with a bit of magic. I think Professor Flitwick could help us charm the Great Hall to look like a winter wonderland. Oh, and I think us and the prefects should have a ceremonial first dance. We could even ask Mcgonagall and Flitwick to participate. Plus we 7th years still know the dance we had to learn in 4th year and could easily teach it to the prefects. In fact, why don't we delegate the 7th year prefects to teach the dance to the 5th and 6th year prefects."

"That's great. What about music?" Harry asked.

"I bet we could convince Mcgonagall to lift the charm that causes muggle electronics to not work on the Great Hall for one night. We could set up speakers and just play music all night. Of course we'll need a playlist, but with all the prefects and us that shouldn't be too difficult. It's probably too late to book a band anyway." He nodded in agreement.

"Well, I guess we should make up some fliers and schedule a prefects meeting to plan everything. This is really great idea, Raven. I think everyone needs some time to relax before finals, especially since the war." It was so nice to see Harry smile for once. I know he'd been having a rough time with his friends lately since Ron and Hermione were dating and he and Ginny were still broken up.

Later that week, after the fliers had gone up, Harry and I were on our Thursday night patrol where we were discussing dates for the dance. "So are you going to ask Ginny?" I asked, secretly hoping that he would say no. I had no right to Harry, and he deserved to be happy, but I selfishly wanted him all to myself…at least until the end of the school year.

"Nah, I haven't quite forgiven her yet. Plus, she's already agreed to go with Neville. It's funny how much confidence that boy has gained since the War." It was true, Neville was no long the awkward chubby boy he had been years ago. He was quite the handsome charmer now. "What about you? Going with Draco, I assume."

I nodded, "He's the only male friend I have that I can go with. Of course he asked me like a perfect gentleman."

"Yeah I think I'll probably ask Luna again. She's nice enough company and she went to Slughorn's Christmas party with me back in 6th year."

"Well that'll be nice," I sighed. Harry then grabbed my hand and turned to face me.

"You know I wish I could take you, right?" he asked. I nodded. "It's just too complicated because of everyone we know. I can't betray Ginny like that and Draco would probably be fuming."

I kissed his lips lightly and whispered in his ear, "I'll be thinking of you the whole night. And you better save some time for me back in our room."

He grinned, "Of course, my lady." With that he swept me into his arms, "Let's ditch patrolling for the rest of night. Right now I'd rather spend the evening just like this." He led me back to our room where we immediately fell onto the couch, embraced in a heated kiss.


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Thanks to all of my supporters! Sorry this is a bit late in the evening. A fair warning: I will be out of town for Thanksgiving next weekend and as such I probably won't be able to update. In fact, with finals approaching and several lab papers due in the near future the next few updates may not be weekly as usual until Winter Break. I promise there will be at least one update after Thanksgiving weekend before I get into the grunt of my end-of-term obligations. This chapter is a bit slow, but I swear the next one will be worth the wait. Thanks so much for your patience and please enjoy.**

**Chapter 16**

The news of the dance and Hogsmeade trip were well received and I'd agreed to Hogsmeade the weekend before with Daphne to buy a dress. With the new tolerance being implemented at the school, dress robes or muggle formal wear would be acceptable. Daphne and I were sifting through racks of dresses when she brought up my relationship with Draco. "So you're attending the ball with Draco, I hear?" I just raised an eyebrow at her to inquire how she'd heard. "Astoria's been obsessive with him lately," she supplied, "So naturally she found out and whined to me about it."

I grinned, "Yup, and I hear you're attending with the charming Blaise Zabini?"

She blushed shyly, "Yes; I have indeed accepted his offer. Parkinson is absolutely furious that the two best Slytherin bachelors were taken so quickly. She's stuck with a sixth year I believe. I can't remember his name so he must not be too influential."

I discretely saw Ginny Weasley trying on a beautiful green dress across the store and noticed how attractive she was when dressed up. It was obvious why Harry was so taken with her. "So," Daphne began after pulling out a deep purple dress and adding it to the stack in her arms, "How come you and Draco don't just go official yet? It's pretty clear you're going to end up together."

I sighed, "Draco is wonderful and he really cares about me. I would be so lucky to have him as a husband or boyfriend one day, but right now I'm just not ready to give up my life yet. He's been a great friend since the War; it's been really difficult for us having come from well-known Death Eater families. It seems the prejudice has shifted in our direction."

She nodded, "I've noticed you and Potter seem to be getting on well. He removed his prejudices much quicker than I would have expected. His friends seem to still keep away from the Slytherins, however. Maybe it's the whole Head Boy thing that's got him acting more mature than the others."

I pulled out a red and black dress with high slits on either side. When I tried it on Daphne gasped, and I soon saw why. The dress showed a lot of cleavage and leg and was very sexy. "Is it too much?" I asked.

"I don't much care for the red. But you have to buy this. Draco is going to fall over when he sees you in this! I don't think it'll stay on long," she winked. I smiled; in the back of my head I knew that Harry would love the color and I secretly wanted him to be jealous. Needless to say, I bought the dress.

The next time I came to Hogsmeade was for trip for 1st and 2nd years; Harry and I hadn't had much time together since the end of the term had meant a lot of exams and preparation that came along with them. We were enjoying a bit of time together in public. As the Heads, we had to make sure the trip ran smoothly and were patrolling Hogsmeade together to make sure the Prefects had a handle on things.

"So I assume you have your dress already," Harry mentioned nonchalantly.

"What did I tell you about trying to weasel information out of me, Potter? I'm not going to tell you about my dress. You can see it tonight with the rest of the Hogwarts population." Harry had relentlessly been trying to find out what sort of dress I would buy, but I didn't want to ruin the surprise.

"Uhg, I'm just curious how you're going to look in formal wear. A big change from your normal jeans and tank top."

I shrugged, "You'll have to wait to see." I winked and started walking away. He shook his head and jogged to catch up with me.

About a half hour later we had wandered towards the woods on the back end of the village and he now had me pinned against a tree. "I don't want to wait until after the dance, Raven," he breathed in my ear.

"You have to, Potter," I scolded him.

"But it's been too long since I could spend time with you. Are you sure you'll be able to get away tonight?"

"Mhm. Draco has to leave at 11 to floo home because his parents want to go on vacation for the holidays. The only reason he's staying is because we needed all the prefects to execute this, so Mcgonagall is letting him use her personal floo in her office."

"Okay, I know Luna won't be too hard to get rid of. I'll mention knargles or something and she'll wander back to her common room." Harry released me and we started heading back to the school.

"I look forward to see you later, Potter," I called to him while he was taking attendance at the Hogwarts entrance, "Great Hall at quarter 'til for the first dance!" With that I headed to the Slytherin common room to get ready with Daphne.


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: The long awaited Winter Formal chapter is here! Look at my profile for a link to a banner I made with Raven's dress and Harry's and Draco's outfits. Thanks for waiting patiently-you will be rewarded as this is my longest chapter yet. It contains MATURE content-you know my spiel: don't read it if you don't like it. The next chapter should be up NEXT Friday. Sorry for the longer waits, but I've been going insane with the end of the semester being here. Please enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: JKR owns HP characters-you should all know this by now.**

**Chapter 17**

Daphne was right, because when we entered the common room Draco's jaw seemed to hit the floor. I giggled at his reaction and noticed that Blaise had a similar reaction when he finally saw Daphne descend the stairs. "You're going to be catching flies soon, Draco," I smirked at him.

"Ha-ha," he said dryly, recovering from the moment, "But seriously, Rae, you look amazing!" I smiled and he leaned to whisper in my ear, "Every guy is going to be jealous of me tonight."

"You're not so bad yourself, Dray," I commented, fixing his collar so that it was lying flatter. He had gone a bit more on the casual side, opting to not wear a tie and instead show a little bit of his chest. He was probably one of few men who could pull it off at a formal occasion, and he looked great wearing all black.

Draco led me to the Great Hall on his arm and we arrived 5 minutes before the planned meeting time. I excused myself so that I could get Harry away from Luna long enough to check out the Great Hall. We slipped in and saw that it looked magnificent; the décor was silver and blue with snowflakes that appeared to falling from the sky and ice carvings all over the place. Words could hardly describe how amazing the place looked. "You did a great job coordinating everything, Raven," Harry told me, "The place looks great." I thanked him cordially. "And you look stunning," he whispered in my ear. I gave him a flirtatious smile and walked back into the Entrance Hall to start gathering the prefects.

Once everyone was situated in the Great Hall Harry and I walked in together and began the ceremonial first dance. Harry and I could finally converse without interruption while we were doing the dance so I took advantage of that. I noticed that he wasn't wearing his usual glasses that night, "So, no glasses tonight?"

He chuckled, "Yeah, Hermione gave me these contact things that Muggles use to wear tonight. They're sort of odd feeling, though, the glasses will definitely be back after tonight."

"Good, I like the glasses," I grinned as he dipped me.

"Well then I guess I can't be getting rid of them any time soon then, can I?" I shook my head. "I can't wait until later when I get you all to myself," he whispered.

I smirked and raised my hand, which was the signal for the prefects to join in. I saw Draco with Pansy and immediately felt bad for him because it was clear from the look on his face that he was miserable. When the dance ended I leaned in to Harry, "When you see me leave the Great Hall into the Entrance Hall." Then I wandered over to Draco and Pansy and cut in. "So how was the dance with Pansy? Not too excruciating I hope."

He grimaced, "Apparently her mother told her that my parents were pressuring me to find a young woman to marry so now she has taken it upon herself to try and get me to settle down. I wish my damn mother would quit meddling."

"Now you know she's just looking out for you…and maybe the pureblood line as well," I shrugged. "Don't worry, Dray, if you don't meet anyone by the end of the year then I'm your lady. I would never let you go into an arranged marriage if I could help it." He nodded and continued twirling me around the dance floor.

Later on that evening Draco and I were outside since he was getting ready to leave for vacation with his family. It dawned on me that this would be the first Christmas where there would be no formal dinner at his manor. "I wish you didn't have to go," I admitted.

"Me too, but my mom is insisting that we spend time together as a family since I may be moving out soon. Don't worry though; I promise we can meet at our spot on Christmas. I'll write you as often as I can, okay?"

I nodded, "Alright." I hugged him tight and kissed him on the cheek, "Have a good trip, Dray. I'll see you on Christmas." With that we walked back into the hall where he left with Mcgonagall and I sought after Daphne for a girls dance. About 10 minutes after Draco left I caught Harry's eye and nodded. I sauntered out of the hall with long strides knowing that Harry's eyes were watching me the entire way.

He must have caught up with me because as I was whispering the password to the Heads portrait, I felt a hand brush my lower back. As soon as we entered the room I was spun up against the wall and Harry had captured my lips in a passionate kiss and wrapped his arms around me in a heated embrace. "You were killing me in that dress tonight," Harry admitted between kisses, "It's a good thing Luna is so distracted otherwise she would have noticed me staring at you all night. I could hardly control myself."

"You clean up pretty well yourself, Potter," I muttered, while loosening his tie. I began to kiss and suck down his neck and he groaned in response. "Damn clothes," I said in frustration, before deciding to just pop off the buttons of his shirt and yank his tie over his head. Finally his chest was exposed and my mouth continued there. All the while one of his hands had cupped my arse with a squeeze and the other was running through my hair. Within no time I had his trousers removed and was on my knees on the floor of our common room sucking his cock hard. I cupped his balls and began massaging them as my mouth popped on and off of his long member. When I heard him moan I took his entire length in my mouth and had to repress the urge to gag while he came violently down my throat. I lapped up the remainder of his cum before pulling off and looking up at him seductively.

He yanked me up towards him and lifted me so that I was straddling his waist; I silently thanked myself for picking a dress with slits on both sides. He placed my so that I was sitting on one of the high chairs at the count and our faces were even. He ran his hands up and down my legs and sides before sexily untying the tie at the front of my dress with his teeth. He pushed the fabric away so that he could have access to my breasts and proceeded to ravish them equally with his mouth. He lightly bit on my right nipple and I moaned in response, wrapping my legs tighter around his torso. He pulled back and grinned down at his abs, "I see you're not wearing any knickers tonight." He fingered the juices that I had rubbed onto his abs and licked them off his finder, "Mmm, so sweet. I really think I need to taste more of that." He shoved the skirt of my dress up and swiped his finger up my slit, eliciting a moan from me before tasting my milky discharge again. Before I could react he had lifted me up onto the counter so that he could position his head under my dress. I felt him pump two fingers into me and then felt his tongue swirling around my clit. I was so turned on that within a few minutes I was moaning out his name in an orgasm.

"Let's take this to the bed," he whispered, lifting me down onto the floor. I followed him into his bedroom and crawled on the bed first.

"I'm ready for you now, Harry. I want you in me," I pulled him down towards me. Since this was his first time he stuck with a missionary position. He crawled between my legs and I wrapped them around his waist, drawing him closer to me.

"Is this okay?" he asked. I just nodded and guided his tip through my folds. He took over and thrust gently into me, eliciting a gasp from me. I arched my back and angled my hips upward. He grabbed my waist and began thrusting slowing into me.

"Mmm," I moaned, "Go a little harder, Harry." He complied and began thrusting deeper into me. After a few minutes we were both drenched in sweat; I had been working my hips to meet his thrusts. "A bit longer," I sighed and began rubbing my clitoris to intensify the feeling. All of a sudden pure ecstasy washed over me and my body shook with the pleasure of an amazing orgasm. I clenched around his hard penis and that brought him over the edge as well. We were both exhausted, so I spent the night in his bed that night.


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: So this technically isn't Friday, but I hope it's close enough. Thanks to my supporters, as usual. I have finals coming up in the next week and a half so I won't be posting until they're over, but I swear I'm going to try and crank out a few chapters before Christmas so I can continue back on my weekly updating schedule. Don't forget to check out the banner for last chapter on my profile. Enjoy :) **

**Disclaimer: I don't own HP, I just love playing with JKR's creation.**

**Chapter 18**

In the morning we woke up and went our separate ways to pack and get ready for winter vacation. Before I left we reconvened in our common room. "So are you heading back to your family's place or the Weasley's or what?" I asked him.

"Well I actually inherited a place from my godfather, so I'll be staying there over break. I usually stay with the Weasley's, but given my situation I'll probably not be doing that. I guess I'll still go spend Christmas day with them since Ron and Hermione will be there. How about you?"

"Well I've got my mansion all to myself since my parents…" I trailed off, not wanting to think about it, "Anyway, Draco and I will meet up on Christmas; we always do. I may invite Daph over for night or something." I shrugged; this holiday season was not going to be the best for me.

"Well, if you ever get lonely…"

"Thanks, Potter," I cut him off and gave him a warm smile, "Happy Christmas." With that I left for the train without him.

I found Daphne sitting in a compartment by herself and decided to join her, "Hey Daph, excited for break?"

She shrugged, "I suppose. Home isn't what it used to be though. Can I tell you something?" I nodded. "Toria's been talking with mom about possibly finding her someone to marry when she graduates, and I think she's been pushing for Draco. I know how close you two are, so I figured I should tip you off a bit. I'm sure his parents are pressuring him to find a nice pureblood to settle down with after graduation."

I grimaced, "Yeah I'm sure they are. I'll figure something out for him. He deserves to be happy, not forced into a loveless marriage." She nodded in agreement. "Anyway, since you're not that excited about going home, how would you like to come over and stay with me?"

"That sounds great! I'd love to get away from my sister for a bit. I'll need a day or so to settle in, but I'll send you an owl tomorrow."

"Awesome. I know Draco will be gone until a bit after Christmas, but maybe on New Year's Eve you and Blaise could come over for a small party or something. I'll work on those details though."

"That would be great! I haven't told my mother about Blaise yet; I'm not ready for her to start planning my pureblood wedding yet," she laughed, "So it'll be great to see him over break."

The train ride went too fast, and before I knew it I was apparating from King's Cross and landing outside my manor. I opened the door to an empty house. With a flick of my wand, my luggage flew upstairs to my room. I walked into the sitting room and sat down on the couch. This particle room was for company, and there for not very lived in. There was a picture of my family on the mantle and as soon as I saw it I started crying. A few moments passed when I heard a pop and my house elf, Sparky, began comforting me, "Oh Missus, please don't cry. Sparky is so excited to finally have you home! Sparky so lonely without Missus in the house! Please, what can I get for you?"

I looked at her big eyes and smiled, "Hi Sparky, I've missed you too. Could I have a hug first?" She looked at me surprised; this wasn't normal. But in these moments I realized I didn't have much left, and Sparky was all I had left of my old home life. She obliged and wrapped her little arms around me. "Thank you. Now a cup of coffee would do just fine, please." With that she snapped her fingers and a cup of coffee appeared in front of me. I sipped on it while I wrote Draco a letter.

_Dear Draco,_

_How is vacation with your family going? I hope you guys are all enjoying yourself. Tell your mom I said hi, please. Now that the formalities are out of the way, is there any chance you're coming home early? I've been back in my house for 10 minutes and I'm already miserable. I miss my parents so much, and being in this huge mansion all by myself is incredibly lonely. I miss you terribly. Anyway, I spoke to Daphne and I decided to invite her and Blaise to spend New Year's with us here. Don't you think that will be fun? She also told me some interesting news from her family, of which I need to discuss with you as soon as you get back. Hopefully Daph come spend a day or two with me here. You know how Potter and I have been getting along? I think he tried to invite me to visit him if I got lonely. I think that might be a bit weird though. Hurry home! I'm counting the days until you come back._

_Lots of love,_

_Rae_

I sent the letter off and couldn't wait for a response, though I knew it wouldn't come until tomorrow. At times like these I sincerely thought about visiting Harry, but it would be so awkward if any of his friends dropped by. I decided I'd better just send him a gift via owl post, just to be safe. That night I fell asleep and dreamt of my parents suffering a horrible fate in Azkaban. I woke up in terror many times; it seemed obvious that I wasn't going to get much sleep over this holiday break.


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: I apologize for the extremely long delay. As I stated last chapter I had finals until just before Christmas and when I came home, intending to update around Christmas our internet was being finicky and it didn't get fixed until a couple days ago. Anyway, I have Chapter 20 pretty much finished and will get it posted before I leave town (probably Saturday or Sunday). Hope you all had lovely holidays. Please enjoy. And thanks to my supporters.**

**Disclaimer: JKR is the literary genius, not me.**

**Chapter 19:**

I finally got out of bed around 10 the next morning and went downstairs to find a letter from Daphne sitting on my kitchen counter. That was curious, I thought, since owls usually delivered only to the person addresses to. "Miss," Sparky said, startling me, "This letter came this morning. I hope it's okay I took it for you. Sparky not want to wake Miss from her little sleep."

"It's okay, Sparky," I said quickly before she started punishing herself, "I appreciate that." I opened the letter to see what Daphne had to say.

_Raven,_

_Astoria is being a total prick lately; I cannot get her to shut up about Draco! Anyway, can I come over today? I can come over early and maybe we can go shopping for Christmas gifts then I can spend the night? I hope this isn't too short of notice for you. There's no need to respond, just floo over to my place around noon if I can. I've never been to your manor so you'll have to side-along me this time. Hopefully I'll see you soon!_

_-Daphne_

The letter pleased me, since I was already getting bored. I definitely need to go Christmas shopping, too. So at noon I stepped into my fire place and flooed over to Daphne's. "Hi Astoria," she nodded at me, "Mrs. Greengrass, how have you been?"

"It's been tough. I know it must be difficult for you as well. Are you all by yourself now?"

"Yes, that's why I'm very excited for Daphne to come over." Clearly word traveled fast in the pureblood community since everyone seemed to know exactly who had died and who had been sent to Azkaban. "But the Malfoys have been very helpful and nice to me since then. Draco is always around to help with whatever I need and Cissy has always been like a mother figure to me." That I simply said to get a rise out of Astoria. "Is Daphne in her room?" Her mother nodded, so I went to find her.

"Hey Raven! Sorry I wasn't quite ready," Daphne said exiting her room, "I hope my family wasn't too much of a handful."

"Not at all," I smiled and grabbed her arm, "Let's go!" We apparated to the front of my house. Draco was the only friend that I ever had over because once Voldemort came back to power there was a lot of Death Eater business going on in my house and I just didn't know who I could and couldn't trust. Even though my house was empty now, it was sort of nice to have it be in my control.

"So," I said, after Daphne had set her stuff down in my room, "Shall we go to Diagon Alley?" She nodded eagerly. When we arrived we got some lunch first. Over lunch we began discussing New Year's Eve plans.

"I think we should both get fancy little dresses to wear and ask the boys to dress nicely too. We hardly ever get a good occasion to dress up," she said.

I agreed, "That sounds awesome! We can get dresses today from Madam Malkin. Let's head there first." When we got there we immediately went our separate ways to find our own dresses to try on. When we met up at the dressing room, I had three and she had four. In the end I decided on a strapless nude colored dress that went just past knees and had colorful flowers attached on the bodice. Daphne selected a hot pink mini-dress that fit tight and fell just above her knee. "We are going to be such knockouts in these dresses!" I exclaimed as we exited the shop.

"I know! I cannot wait to see the boys' faces!"

Daphne decided to roam other clothes and trinket shops to get gifts for her mom and Astoria, and since I only had to buy gifts for Draco, his family, Harry, and Daphne we decided to part ways for an hour or so. I bought a bottle of expensive scotch to send for Lucius, since I knew he enjoyed a good drink in the evening. For Narcissa I settled on a pair of earrings that had sapphires in a teardrop shape. Lucius always bought her emerald and diamond jewelry, but I knew that she loved sapphires because they brought out her eye color. I found a great potions kit for making makeup that I knew Daphne would love. It would allow one to create the perfect shades for their skin tone, hair color, etc. Harry was a bit more difficult to buy for. But I had it on good authority that his owl had died the previous year, so I went to the pet emporium and found a beautiful black owl to send to him, along with some treats. For Draco I always got multiple gifts, since we liked to have our own little Christmas every year. I got him an assortment of chocolate frogs and sugar quills for "stocking stuffers." I also bought him some personalized parchment for his letters and some new dress shirts since I knew he rarely shopped for clothes. Finally, I got him a wand holster that was made out of titanium with a message engraved on the inside 'To My Rock, Love Rae.' The holster wasn't that big, so I was short with the inscription.

Later that night Daphne and I were sitting outside in the hot tub that I had bought over the summer with my parents' money; each of us with a glass of wine in our hand. "So Daph, are you going to dish on your relationship with Blaise?"

"Only if you tell me what's up with you and Draco," she gave me a pointed look.

"It' complicated," I shrugged.

"What's so complicated about it? He obviously cares about you…forgive me for not seeing the problem here."

"I love Draco, Daph, I really do. He's my best friend and I don't know if I could survive without him. It's just all my life I've always had these expectations and what not, and for once I can finally just do me, you know? I know I'll end up with him in the end, but I'm just not ready quite yet. I need to move on from Theo and from this war before I can fully give myself to Draco. And he deserves me at my best, not some broken version of me who doesn't have anything figured out yet."

"I guess I can understand that," she sympathized. I didn't tell her, but I think Harry was playing a key role in me figuring everything out. I'm not sure what it was about him, but I wasn't ready to give it up yet either.


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: Thanks to my supporters. Sorry this is late; I've been crazy busy and out of town. I'm not sure of the author(if there is one) information on Beedle the Bard, so please just go with it for the sake of this chapter. Enjoy :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own HP.**

**Chapter 20:**

It seemed like forever, but Christmas finally came. I knew that I would see Draco later in the day, so I quickly retrieved my owl so I could send off my gift to Daphne. I sent Harry's owl to him with the treats and hung on to Draco's and his parent's gifts to give to him. I had my house elf, Sparky, set up some Christmas decorations around the house, including a tree in the sitting room. Despite being alone this year, I knew the decorations would bring up my spirits; I always enjoyed the holidays. Draco wouldn't be around until 2, and since it was only 10am I was simply sitting in the room staring at the tree. I noticed that it was lightly snowing outside and smiled softly to myself.

Draco's mansion was located diagonally behind mine; it was how we originally became so close. Our parent's ran in the same circles, but they didn't know about how we used to meet in the woods between our houses when we were younger. There was a large boulder somewhere between our houses in those woods; neither of us was sure exactly whose property it was on. It was big enough for 3 people to sit comfortably on. It was at that boulder that we met up on every holiday, and sometimes on random days, just to have our alone time together. At 2pm sharp, I apparated out to the rock. When I landed, I saw Draco already perched on the rock waiting for me. He hopped down and scooped me into his arms. "I missed you, Rae. Happy Christmas!"

"Happy Christmas, Dray, I missed you too," we pulled apart and he lifted my gracefully onto the rock to sit. He had already cast a warming and drying charm on the cold rock so our butts wouldn't freeze. Sitting behind us on the rock was my gift, which Draco handed to me once we were both comfortably seated. I unwrapped it and found an old copy of _The Tales of Beedle the Bard_, and when I opened the cover I noticed that it was signed by the original author. I gasped, "Draco, where on earth did you get this? This book must be centuries old!"

He smiled secretively, "So you like it then?"

I threw my arms around him, "Like it? I love it! You always fricken beat me at presents! But seriously….I need an explanation."

"Apparently it's been in my family for ages. I saw it when we went to our vault before vacation. Neither of my parents particularly cared about and I know how much you love the stories so I couldn't think of a better home for it." I shook my head; Draco never ceased to amaze me. I handed him my gift to him.

He quietly unwrapped it and grinned when he pulled it out, "This is great, Raven! I haven't had a holster since I lost my old wand…"

I pointed to the inscription, " Read it." He did and then turned toward me to engulf me in a hug. He kissed my head and murmured, "Thanks Rae, I love you."

"Love you too, Dray." And thus we celebrated Christmas on the rock opening our "stocking stuffer" gifts the rest of the afternoon, sort of like our own little family. I realized that even though I missed my parents terribly, I hadn't lost everything, and I would learn to cope and appreciate what I did have. Slowly, I could feel my soul beginning to heal.

When I walked back into my house, I wondered if I had ever felt like this place was a home. I shook my thoughts away when I noticed an owl perched on the coffee table in our sitting room. I realized the owl was so comfortable in my house because that was the owl I sent Harry! I hurried over and tore the letter and parcel he came with off of his leg.

_Cadence,_

_I've missed you this break. I wish you would consider my offer to visit; I could really use a friend. Thanks so much for the owl you sent me. I've named her Chastie, well actually my godson named him that. His vocabulary isn't very good and he can't make too many hard sounds yet. I've gotten to spend a lot of time with him this break. I hope his grandmother will let me take him when I graduate, she's getting old and shouldn't have to be chasing around a toddler all the time. I hope everything's going okay with you._

_Happy Christmas,_

_HP_

I opened the parcel to find a beautiful sapphire hair pin. I smiled and immediately pinned my hair back with it. It reminded me of the pin I sometimes wore that my mother gave me when I was younger. It was garnet, because at the time red was one of my favorite colors. Now I loved the cool colors, so Harry thought it would be appropriate if I had a new one that was blue. It was an extremely thoughtful gift. I thought about his offer and decided that I really did want to see him again before we go back to school. With him being with the Weasleys most of this break and everything that was going on with Draco I had a funny feeling that our relationship would be changing in the coming months. I sent him a reply asking him which day the following week (besides New Year's Eve) was good for him. As I waited for his reply, I felt myself become giddy with anticipation. I chuckled softly at myself and stared out the window, waiting to see his owl in the sky.


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: I know it has been a long wait. Thanks so much for all the support I have received, it means a lot. It has been a busy past couple of months and will be busy for the next few weeks so please bear with me. I swear this story will not get abandoned. This is for all you Harry fans...a juicy chapter for you. Rated M for sexual content. Enjoy :)**

**Chapter 21**

Two days later I found myself staring in the mirror. It had been over a week since I had last seen Harry and I found myself feeling a bit nervous. After trying on three different outfits I had settled on a pair of dark wash skinny jeans and a white tank top that accented my cleavage with a black cardigan over it. I pulled on some black leather boots and checked my makeup one last time before heading over to the fireplace in my room. "Number 12 Grimmauld Place," I stated clearly. With a whoosh I was stepping into what looked like old-fashioned living room. I would have to ask Harry about the odd decoration of this place. It certainly didn't look like the home of an 18 year-old young man. "Harry?" I called.

"Up here, Raven!" I heard from upstairs. I headed to the entryway where I saw the staircase located. Before I reached the staircase I heard a portrait of a stern looking woman mutter something about how finally some good blood has come to the house. I shook my head and headed up the stairs. I poked my head in the first room I reached, but he wasn't in there. I got to a room towards the end of the hallway and heard rustling around inside of it. When I pushed the door open I saw Harry frantically making up a bed. "Is that any way to greet your guest, Potter?" I asked, leaning casually in the doorway. He flushed slightly, but hurried over and swept me into a bear hug.

"I missed you, Raven," he said into my hair, "But I was running late getting the room ready for you."

I grinned at him, "I guess I missed you too, Potter. But you are such a dolt sometimes! Do you honestly think I'm going to sleep in a guest room by myself in this big creepy house?"

He smiled back at me, "Well I was hoping you would say that…but I didn't want to be presumptuous or anything." He finally placed me back on the floor. "That being the case, I'll show you where we'll be staying." We wandered down the hall to the master bedroom, which looked pretty regal and completely not Harry's style. I gave him a questioning look. "I haven't had any time to redecorate since the house was left to me. We always used it for Order Headquarters so until now it hasn't really been mine. I guess I'll have to do some work on it this summer."

"Oh, so this was left to you by your parents?"

He shook his head, "My parents did leave me a small fortune, but no. My godfather, Sirius left this to me." I remembered hearing about Sirius Black a bit, but who knew he was Harry's godfather? It amazed me how little I really knew about him. He must have seen the look on my face because he decided to clarify, "Him and Remus Lupin, our Defense professor 3rd year, were both very good friends of my parents. Remus's son is actually my godson."

"Wow, I never knew that," it's was odd how little I really knew about 'The Boy Who Lived.' Now that I had been introduced to his bedroom I decided I couldn't wait any longer for a real greeting. I turned toward him and gave him a seductive look, "I'm glad I decided to come here after all, Harry."

Seeing my face, he must have determined what I wanted and reached out a hand to grab my around my waist and pull my towards him, "I'm glad you're here, Raven." It came out as a husky whisper. When his lips finally touched mine it felt like all of our emotions came pouring out. His wand cast a word-less charm on me and in a passion-filled flurry clothes were torn off and tossed aside and after a minute or two, I was pressed underneath his naked body against the bed and he was sucking hard at my collar-bone, leaving his mark on me. When his fingers found their way through our bodies to my core, I thought I would explode right then. I dug my fingers into his hair and arched my back so that I could meet his touch. He wasted no time and swiftly entered me, slamming hard against my g-spot. Our love-making was fast, hard, and animalistic and after only a few minutes we were both moaning out our releases.

"It's been too long," I whispered into his neck when we were finished. Both of us were still naked and I was curled into his side. We had not even bothered to get under the covers.

"Don't worry, I intend to make up for lost time today," he turned and gently kissed my forehead. "Now that we have that out of the way I am going to make you writhe under me and take me sweet time making love you." He leaned closer to whisper in my ear, "I plan to make you come for me so many times tonight, Rae. I hope you're ready." He rarely spoke dirty to me like that so when he does it turns me on so bad.

"You better make good on your word, Potter," I crawled on top of him and began kissing him slowly. He flipped me over and slowly began kissing all over my chest, stopping at my left nipple to gently suck on it. I let out a small whimper and he slid his hands down my sides. One hand went back up to cup and to massage my right breast while the other found its way through my soft folds to my clitoris. His middle finger swirled in circles around my clit and I bucked my hips into him. He momentarily left my breasts bare while he switched his hot lips over to my other breast and began twirling his tongue around my nipple. Shortly after, he inserted two fingers into my vagina and began putting pressure on my clit with his thumb. After another minute I came all over his hand and moaned out his name.

After I came down from my climax, I reached for his throbbing hard penis. He grabbed my arm and pinned it above my head, "Oh, no. I'm not done with you yet, Raven." He licked his fingers, "I still need to taste this sweet juice. And all of sudden his tongue was trailing down my body until it found my folds. He swirled around my clit, teasing me for a few minutes. Finally I had had enough and shoved his face further into me. He chuckled into my pussy and finally gave me what I wanted by pressing his tongue onto my clit. He ate me for a few minutes and even added a few fingers into me for good measure before juices poured out of me and my legs jerked around him. He then crawled up my body and flipped me to hands and knees before entering me.

"A bit harder, please," I moaned out. He began pounding into me and reached around to finger my clit. Out moans mixed with the sound of slapping flesh for the next 15 minutes. "I'm about to cum," I moaned out.

"Oh, Rae," he moaned, thrusting into me hard one last time releasing his seed while I moaned in pleasure, having reached my climax for 4th time that day. We fell onto the bed and went to sleep.


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: Thanks for all of the reviews, both positive and negative. I have been getting mixed reviews about the lemons so I decided I will try to develop the character relationships more but still keep an occasional lemon. We finally see a little bit of what Harry wants in this chapter. In the course of the next two weeks I have finals, am moving into a new apartment, and am starting a new job, so please be patient with me; the next update might not be for two weeks. Thanks and enjoy :)**

**Chapter 22**

After our careless night I knew that the next day would bring the serious discussion that could not be avoided. Harry was awake before me so I had to go down to the kitchen to find him. He smiled at me from the stove where he was cooking breakfast. I raised an eyebrow at him, interested that he could cook. I had grown up with house elves cooking for me. He shrugged, "My aunt and uncle used to make me cook for them a lot before I went to Hogwarts. Plus ever since Dobby died in the war, I haven't had the heart to form a bond with another house elf really. I let the house elf that I inherited with this house, Kreacher, work at Hogwarts with the others."

"How were your relatives? I never really knew what happened to you after your parents died. Of course everyone in the wizarding world knows that story."

"They were pretty awful. But they were just muggles who didn't know better." I nodded in response and wrapped my arms around his bare torso.

"So…how was your Christmas at the Burrow?" I finally asked. I think he and I both knew that I was mostly curious how he interacted with Ginny.

He thought for a second then decided to try and evade my question, "Well it was nice. I haven't gotten to spend much time Ron and Hermione lately with being Head Boy. Plus I love the Weasley's since they're pretty much the only family I have."

"Nice try, Potter," I smiled wearily at him, "How'd Ginny take you being there?"

He sighed, "She was actually very pleasant. I think she understands that sometimes I feel isolated because of the war. I put a lot of blame on myself for all of the people who died trying to protect me. That's part of the reason why I decided to come back to Hogwarts instead of going straight into Auror training. I didn't feel like I was ready. I wanted to just enjoy a year of being irresponsible and having fun without the pressure of having to deal with Voldemort in the back of my mind. I just wasn't ready to start adult life yet, you know?"

I nodded in understanding, "I didn't realize how difficult it would be to be the "Boy Who Lived." I think you're incredibly brave, Harry. You don't need to feel guilty for not wanting to grow up just yet. You're way wiser than your years."

"Thanks," he whispered. "But I suppose I should be honest with you. She apologized to me and was very mature about the whole situation. I think she wants us to try again." My heart dropped. Of course she wanted to try again. Harry Potter was not only very famous and wealthy, but he was incredibly brave and selfless and exactly the kind of man any woman would only dream to get a chance with. I knew that with their history I had a small chance against Ginny. At the same time, I knew that Harry also deserved someone who could truly appreciate him like Ginny. He's so sure of what he wants and when he makes a decision he follows through with it. And me? I'm just a mess who has no clue what she wants in life. All I know is that I enjoy spending time with Harry and if he goes back to Ginny that will no longer happen.

"I see," I said, pulling away from and sitting at his kitchen table.

"Raven," he said, reaching towards me, "I didn't give her an answer. I know that you said you didn't want to define anything or want anything serious…but I can't help but feel drawn to you. I don't even care that we hardly know each other. I'm willing to spend time learning more about you. I think we deserve a chance, you know. At the same time, it would really kill me to hurt Ginny like that. But if I knew…"

I smiled weakly at him and shook my head, "Maybe you're better off with someone like Ginny. I can't give you what she can, Harry. I'm always going to be stigmatized in society because of my parents. Even if I did know what I wanted in life, it would be a long difficult road for you if you were with me."

He took my hand, "I think I've lived through more difficult things in life than a little bit of judging from society….actually, I've lived through exactly that. Rita Skeeter is a nightmare, she is."

"I don't know, Harry…"

"Look, Raven. I really enjoy what we have. But you must know that this can't last forever. Eventually we're going to leave Hogwarts, and you need to decide if you want this in the real world. You'll have to make the choice eventually…and Raven, even the worst of us deserve a bit of happiness."

"I just need some more time," I looked at him pleadingly.

"Alright," he nodded. Then he took me into his arms, and it was clear that the conversation was only over for now. I knew I couldn't avoid this forever, but I sure as hell was going to try. How could I ask him to betray the friends that stuck by his side throughout a war for me, a lonely and broken Slytherin.


End file.
